Dreams
by 123arcalas
Summary: How? How come his pod twin has a clear vision of his dream while he has only darkness, a void of where his dream should be? How come his people, the sylvari, are able to see theirs while he still struggles to find it within the confines of his mind? Why? Why can't he see his own dream?
1. Prologue

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Prologue**

**Xxxxx**

Malomedies stood before several pods hanging overhead on branches of the pale tree, watching, waiting for the moment when they would awaken. Being a firstborn and being one of the older sylvari currently living, Malomedies have learned to predict the awakening of young saplings and currently, he was keeping a keen eye on one.

Unlike the other pods, this one was much larger than the others, almost a third bigger than what other saplings awaken in. Malomedies had predicted that this pod was housing a set of twins to the other Luminaries, all of whom agree with the Luminary of Night. Twins being a rare occurence amongst awakening of young saplings, Malomedies would check up on the pod every day, waiting for the moment when they would awaken. And today, he was sure that the time was now.

Almost like as though she was reading the mind of her child, the Pale Tree lowered the branch of the large pod, gently placing the fragile object onto the ground before returning to her original position. Seeing this action, the dark skinned Sylvari took slow and cautious steps forward, watching, waiting for any movement. No sooner had he peformed this action, a petal moved upon the pod, releasing honey colored fluid onto the grassy hearth as it opened and revealed its contents.

Curious, Malomedies peered inside and couldn't help but release a smile as he did so. His prediction of twins were correct, as he watched the two sylvari blink several times, uncurling themselves from each others embrace as they awoke and sat, looking around their surroundings with curiousity and awe.

"Welcome Saplings," he greeted, watching as the twins slowly turned their eyes towards the Luminary of Night, "Welcome to the Grove."

The twins gazed at the Luminary of Night, one of them, one with dark midnight aloe vera leaf like hair and eyes dark as coal but filled with curiousity, tilted his head to one side, "The Grove?" He straighten his head back towards Malomedies before his eyes widening in realization, "The Grove, it is our home, isn't it?"

In response to the young saplings question, Malomedies nodded, "I am Malomedies, Luminary of Night. What is your name?"

The sylvari who spoke stared at him puzzled before a moment, his coal like eyes blinking several times before replying, "Tzurael."

Nodding his head once, the dark skinned Sylvari turned his attention to the other twin, whom stared slightly dazed at the Firstborn.

Like his brother, his skin was the color of chill, a pale hue of azure, and his hair was the same shade of midnight blue, giving hints that they are in fact, twins. However, unlike his brother, the twin (the younger, Malomedies noted, for being the last one to speak) has leaf like hair, pulled back into a low ponytail, letting some leaves fall in front of his eyes. Instead of coal black, his eyes had taken the shade of violet which turned and blinked at the Luminary of Night.

"Caeshe," the younger responded before turning his eyes back towards the leafy earth, almost like as though he was already exhausted even though having just awakened.

"Malomedies?"

The Luminary of Night turned his gaze towards the older twin, whom peered curiously with his coal eyes, "Where can we get clothes? That's what they are called...right?"

Slowly coming to a realization that the twins were still seated bare upon the ground, the Firstborn nodded, "Come with me, there is a Warden nearby who should give you the proper attire."

Nodding once, Tzurael climbed onto his feet and to Malomedies' slight amusment, he was taller than the first born by mere inches before he offered a hand to his twin. The younger stared at his brother's hand for several minutes before finally understanding the motion and wrapped his hand around his brother's, feeling the older Sylvari help him get onto his feet. When the twins stood, Malomendies expected the twins to be of the same height, however, to his surprise, Caeshe was much shorter than his twin, shorter than Malomedies himself.

Quickly snapping out of his shock, Malomedies nodded, signalling to the twins to follow as he headed towards the Warden that was stocked with clothing.

"Malomedies sir," Tzurael suddenly spoke, causing the firstborn to turn his head to one side, his eyes connectiong to the sylvari's coal black, "my dream, can you help me interpret it?"

Blinking once, the Luminary of Night nodded, "Of course but first, let us get your attire, I am certain that once you are clothed, you will be more comfortable to talk." He was mostly speaking to Caeshe, whom he gave a concerned glance when the young sapling turned his violet eyes towards the Firstborn, giving no response to Malomedies' words. Instead, it was Tzurael, the 'older' twin, who spoke, "Oh of course, thank you for your consideration, Firstborn."

Giving the sapling a small smile, Malomedies came to a pause in front of the Warden, signalling to the twins to grab their attire. Moments later, both twins were clothed in medium armor, even equipped with weapons that Tzurael claimed that they had when they were still within the dream.

"We are almost ready Firstborn," Tzurael announced as he secured his long bow onto his back before ensuring that his sword and dagger were safe around his waist, "however I can't feel like I'm missing something. Something imporant."

Securing dual pistols and a sword and dagger combo of his own around his waist, Caeshe turned his violet eyes towards his brother, the lower half of his face hidden by cloth as he spoke, "You are a Ranger, Brother. Where is your companion?"

Almost immediately, a great sadness could be seen in the cloak black eyes of the older Sylvari, causing Malomedies concern as the sapling replied, "Oh, it was with me in the dream but I am guessing that I am now awakened..." His voice faded, showing signs of his disappointment and the sense of loss.

"Do not worry, sapling," Malomedies spoke, causing the twins to look his way, "if you had a companion in your dream, most likely in the future you'll find it again."

Staring at the Firstborn for several moments, a smile faded onto Tzurael's features before he nodded, "Thank you Firstborn, that made me feel a lot better."

"Nothing to thank me about," Malomedies tone turned serious as he continued, "Now about that dream of yours."

"Oh, of course," Tzurael turned his black eyes towards his brother, whom nodded once, before returning his gaze towards the Firstborn, "My brother and I shared a similar dream. The two of us were walking through a forest, Caledon Forest I believe, before the two of us wondered into a large city. There were different races everywhere! Races of many different sizes and shapes. However, when we made the decision to return home..." Sadness faded into Tzurael's eyes as he finished, "Caeshe disappeared from my side and I returned here, alone."

"H'mmm," Malomedies pondered a moment before turning his eyes towarda Caeshe, "Was your dream the same, I take it?"

"Similar, but not exact," Caeshe replied, causing Malomedies to stare, puzzled, "My dream was the same up until we came to the large city filled with different races. Instead of me disappearing however, it was my brother but I stayed within the large city, surrounded by others but none of our people."

The Luminary of Night stood silent for a moment, watching as the twins stared curiously, waiting for an answer.

"I cannot interpret dreams as well as Kahedins or Dagonet," He finally admitted, seeing the disappointment in the eyes of the twins, "but what I can interpret is that in a certain point of your lives, you two will separate."

"Separate?" Tzurael repeated, his eyes going wide, "but...we've been together forever within the dream. It's not possible that we would separate now that we have awakened."

"I agree with my brother," Caeshe jumped in, "we have been together too long within the dream to leave each other. It won't happen. It'll never will."

Hearing their responses, Malomedies couldn't help but give the twins a pitying look. Just a few minutes old and already they were doubting their dreams but then again, who can blame them? Though not yet awakened, the twins have been together within the dream for who knows how long and like many pod twins, their connection is much stronger with each other than other sylvari.

"Are there any other parts of your dream that you need help to understand?" Malomedies asked, seeing the elder twin's eyes shift from worry to contemplation.

"Well," he said thoughtfully as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I remember dreaming more but it's kinda of...foggy at the moment. Besides the dream with my brother, I can't seem to remember anything else."

Seeing the truthfulness in the elder twin's eyes, Malomedies then turned his attention to the younger twin, only to see him break away eye contact, turning his eyes towards the grassy hearth.

In response, Malomedies just nodded, "Makes yourselves comfortable. This is your home after all. If you need any advice or aid, come to me or any of brothers and sisters to aid you."

"Of course, Firstborn," Tzurael saluted with Caeshe following suite.

With that, Malomedies turned and left the twins to start their own story, heading back towards the soon to be awakened pods.

Watching the Firstborn leave their sight, Tzurael turned his black eyes towards his twin, "Well, what do you think of the 'real' world so far?"

Caeshe pondered for a moment, his violet eyes full of contemplation before he replied, "We are not even minutes old brother. It is too soon to tell if my experience so far has been pleasant or not."

"Good point," Tzurael admitted as he rubbed the back of his head before his eyes scanned the high branches of the forest around them, "I guess we can start here." The elder twin unsheathed his longbow, "Where do you want to go first, Caeshe?"

Caeshe stayed silent for a moment, fingering his dual pistols around his waist before he replied, "A high point. A high point where we can see our surroundings."

A small smile faded onto Tzurael's face, "Great plan, let's go."

* * *

My first Guild Wars Fanfiction :D  
Also, could someone think up of a better name pls? Cause I don't like this title but it was the only one I could think of .-.  
I'll write a chapter to the one that gives the best title imo lol

Enjoy C:

~123arcalas


	2. Caledon Forest

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Caledon Forest**

**Xxxxx**

All he could feel was the cold, causing the young thief to shiver as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Brother?" Caeshe called, his only response was his voice echoing off the abyss, "Brother?"

He didn't know how he got there or how long but he knows for certain: that he was alone.

"Brother!?"

"Caeshe!"

Snapping his eyes open, Caeshe abruptly sat up in his hammock, causing his brother to leap back to avoid their heads colliding together.

"Eh? What?" Caeshe placed one hand onto his face, feeling beads of sweat sliding down the sides of his face.

"You were calling out in your sleep," Tzurael sighed as he sat down onto his own hammock, "it was loud enough that our neighbors actually came to our pod to ask what was going on?"

Caeshe turned his violet eyes towards his pod twin, "And you said..?"

"I know how sensitive you are when it comes to your dream, so I lied," Tzurael forced a smile, "I told them that we got into a fight and you were yelling at me to gain my attention."

"You what?" Caeshe slung his legs over the side of his hammock, "Again? Can't you think up of something else besides fighting?" He heaved out a sigh as he brushed his fingers through his leaf like hair, the tips glowing a violet hue, "Now they're gonna think we do not get along."

Tzurael just released another sheepish smile, his features more visible thanks to the cyan glow upon his skin and hair, "Do not think that way, Caeshe. A week old we maybe but the others know us well enough by now that we do in fact, get along."

Caeshe just turned his eyes towards his brothers, his violet eyes showing doubt, "How do you know that they know us well enough? Like you said, we're only a week old, Brother. I highly doubt that they'll know us 'well'"

Tzurael just laughed at his younger brother's words, "That I have to agree with," he gave his brother a genuine gentle smile, "truly we have awakened during the cycle of night."

Rolling his eyes at his brother, Caeshe just laid back down into his hammock, immediately getting a look of concern from the older twin, "You well enough to go back to sleep so soon? The dream you were having seemed more like a-"

"Nightmare, yes" Caeshe interrupted as he turned onto his side, "and I don't want to talk about it."

Tzurael just sighed but instead of pressuring his brother, Tzurael just laid back into his hammock, "When you're ready to talk about it, just tell me."

Then with that, silence permeated throughout the room.

Instead of sleeping however, Caeshe stayed wide awake, his eyes showing no sign of fatigue as he stared at the wall of their pod.

What does my dream mean?, he thought as he curled his hands into a fist, that I'll be lost in darkness but...how?

He mentally slapped himself, Worry about that later, right now, worry about helping Brother accomplish his own.

With this in his thoughts, Caeshe's mind wondered back to the third day when they had awakened and it was then, Tzurael (somehow abruptly) remembered his dream. He had recalled being in building located in a snow capped mountain, seeing other races, including their own, walking around in azure cladded uniforms, walking around with books and artifacts within their hands. This excited Tzurael and he had asked his twin to aid him in discovering what the dream meant.

So far, they didn't gain any new information on his brother's dream. Yesterday, however, Tzurael came to the realization that gathering information within the Grove was not the best option and that the best way was to leave their home and venture outside of the safety of their mother's boughs.

With this in thought, Caeshe turned onto his other side.

The twins were a week old however, they have yet to even leave the safety of their's mother's embrace. Heck, the two didn't even venture into Caledon Forest yet which was right on the doorsteps to the entrance of the Grove.

The thought of leaving their home terrified the younger twin. What was going to happen once they leave their mother? Will they be strong enough to fend for themselves? What dangers will they face once they do leave the Grove?"

Caeshe turned onto his back, his glowing violet eyes staring at the ceiling of their pod.

"Caeshe?" He heard his brother call through the darkness, "What's wrong? You're moving around alot and I sense an uneasiness from you."

The young thief hesitated, "Do...do you think that it's a good idea to leave the Grove when we're so young?" He turned his violet eyes towards his brother, "that we're strong enough to fend for ourselves?"

"Of course we are," Tzurael sat up in his hammock, "there's two us and we have each other's backs." The older twin gave the younger a comforting smile, "Don't worry about it, we'll keep each other safe."

"Still," Caeshe also sat up in his hammock, "we're inexperienced and young. I can't help that if we do go out there something..." He hesitated, "Something horrible is going to happen."

"You worry too much Caeshe," Tzurael sighed before he rubbed the back of his neck, "however, if it makes you feel any better, we'll go out into Caledon Forest tomorrow to train. We'll work on our technique and exploration until we're sure we can handle ourselves to leave Maguuma Jungle, agreed?"

Hesitation clear in his eyes, Caeshe slowly nodded.

"Let's get some sleep then," Tzurael laid back into his hammock, "I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Lying back down in his own hammock, Caeshe murmured, "A long day it will be." before he closed his eyes and went so sleep.

Xxxxx

It was dark enough however this time, Caeshe could see nothing, nothing even when he held out his hand to his face.

"Bro-"

The cold stopped his voice, causing him to choke as he felt air suddenly leave his lungs. What was going on? Collapsing onto his knees, Caeshe coughed and gasped, eventually falling onto his side from lack of air.

"Caeshe!"

Taking in a deep breath, Caeshe started coughing as he felt his brother's arms wrap protectively around his shoulders, feeling the elder twin's hand rub his back, "By the Pale Tree, I felt your fear and it awakened me. Then I saw you shaking and unable to take in air." Tzurael then unwrapped his arms from his brother however, placed his hands onto Caeshe's shoulders so they could make eye contact, "I know how sensitive you are about your dream but I had enough. It is getting too dangerous, Caeshe. We have to go to a Firstborn."

"No," Caeshe heaved, "no, I don't want anyone to know. Not even-"

"Caeshe! This is killing you!" Tzurael interrupted, causing his twin to look away, "I knew something was wrong when you told me about it but it is getting worse. We have to go to a Firstborn. Now."

Reconnecting eye contact with his twin, Caeshe heaved out a sigh of defeat, "If it'll make you feel better, I'll go but I highly doubt that they'll be able to help me."

"Who else can we go to?" Tzurael said as he stood up and picked up his leather coat, slipping it on before grabbing his brother's and handing it to him, "they're are the oldest of our kind and as such, no one else has more knowledge amongst our race than them." He heaved out a sigh, "I just hope they'll know the solution to this."

Taking his coat from his brother, Caeshe slipped it on before picking up his cloth mask and tying it on, covering the lower half of his face, "Like I said I doubt that they'll be able to help me however," He turned his violet eyes, "I am also hoping that they could somehow find a solution."

Hearing this, Tzurael cracked a smile, "Come on, they should be awake by now."

Xxxxx

"Firstborn Malomedies," Tzurael called, instantly recognizing the branched hair of the Luminary of Night as he and his brother descended down the arched bridge of their pod.

Hearing his name being called, Malomedies turned and nodded his head in greeting, "Greetings Saplings, is there something I can help you with on this fine day?"

Coming to a slow halt in front of the Luminary of Night, Tzurael replied, "My brother needs aid. He had been dreaming nothing but of a nightmare and it has been getting increasingly worse as each night passes."

"A nightmare?" Malomedies turned his eyes towards the younger twin whom shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, "if you don't mind, can you explain your dream to me and how long has this been going on?"

"It has been occuring since I had first awakened," Caeshe explained, "every night it always has been the same. I was wondering alone in cold darkness, and no matter how many times I call out for my brother, no one answers back."

"Recently he had suffered an attack," Tzurael added in, earning himself a look from his twin, "it had almost killed him, Firstborn. I worry that the next time he closes his eyes, he might never open them." He paused for a moment before he continued, "Do you happen to know what is going on, Firstborn?"

Malomedies pondered for a moment, letting out an audible, 'h'mmmm' as he placed a hand onto his chin, his other arm wrapped across his chest, "Like I have said before, I am no expert on dreams but what I can guess is that your dream is calling out to you, Caeshe."

"Calling out?" The young thief stared at the Luminary of Night, confusion clear in his eyes, "if it's calling out to me then why is it hurting me? and why hadn't it shown itself to me before?"

"From what I can tell, you and your brother have yet to leave the Grove, am I correct?" When Malomedies earned a slow and hesitant nod from the twins, he continued, "perhaps your dream is far from the Grove? Perhaps even located outside of Maguuma Jungle?"

"But..." Caeshe hesitated, "This is my home."

"That is exactly why your dream is calling out to you," Malomedies said, causing the younger twin to stare at him puzzled, "your fear of leaving the Grove is delaying your task of accomplishing your Dream. Perhaps your attack was a desperate attempt by your Dream to gain your attention, calling you to leave the Grove."

"But..." The young Thief stared at Malomedies with his violet eyes, "Are you sure? Are you sure that my Dream is causing me to suffer like this? All because I don't want to leave the Grove?"

"In theory," The Luminary of Night gave Caeshe a couple pats on the shoulder, "Do not worry young sapling, take your time. Perhaps now that you know why you are having nightmares, perhaps your dreams shall be peaceful once more and you may leave the Grove whenever you wish."

"Thank...Thank you, Firstborn," Caeshe whispered before he turned and brushed past his brother, earning himself a look of concern from his twin.

"I have a feeling that he did not take the news very highly," Tzurael then turned his attention back to Malomedies before giving him a slight bow, "Thank you for your help, Firstborn," then with that, he turned and ran after his brother.

Xxxxx

"Cae-"

He bumped into the hard leaf-like door to his brother's side of the pod, releasing an audible, "ouch" before knocking on the door with the back of his hand, rubbing his sore face with the other, "Caeshe, do you have lock your side of the pod like that?"

"Leave me alone."

"Caeshe," Tzurael knocked on the pod door once more, "I know that you aren't comfortable with leaving the Grove and I am sure that you are not happy that your Dream is forcing you to leave however..." He paused, hesitating, "that doesn't mean you have to sulk over it."

"I am not sulking."

"Caeshe," The Ranger sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "You have to get over it sooner or later, it is inevitable that you'll have to chase after your Dream but for now..." Tzurael released a strained smile, "Would you like to come with me to Caledon Forest? I am 'young' and 'inexperienced', you know?"

Silence followed after the older twin's question, causing the Ranger to shift uncomfortably as he waited for a response.

"I'm coming out," Caeshe responded, "just let me grab my weapons real quick."

Xxxxx

" . !" Tzurael gawked at the entrance of the Grove with Caeshe somewhat reluctantly beside him, their eyes immediately met with the bright light of the sun and the large leaves decorating the streets, "To think that we have been living in the Grove with this right at its entrance the past week."

"This is quite...overwhelming," Caeshe hesitated, placing his hands onto his pistols onto his side, "do you think we can go through this entire forest in a day?"

"Of course not," Tzurael gave his twin a smile, "it might take us a couple, several if we take our time." His eyes glimmered as he added, "But it would be nice to know this terrain, especially since it's really close to the Grove."

Caeshe just gave his twin a stare, "...If you say so." He then unsheathed his dual pistols, "just pull out your weapon in case we meet any hostiles along the way."

Giving his twin a nod, Tzurael unsheathed his bow from his back, notching it as they walked down the path before them. Moments later, they came to a fork in the road.

"Left or right?" Tzurael asked, turning his black coal eyes towards his twin. His response was a shrug, "It won't matter, in the end, we might turn back and take the other path."

"Good point," Tzurael eyes narrowed at the paths, "then shall we take the right one then?"

Gaining a nod as a response, Tzurael slowly headed towards right only to suddenly stop, his eyes going wide.

"Brother, is something the ma-"

"Fern hounds!" With a gleeful cry, Tzurael dashed towards a large fenced in area, the middle completely filled with Fern Hounds and Pups alike.

Watching his brother leap with joy at the plant like hounds, Caeshe just shook his head before calmly walking after his brother. However, the instant Tzurael leaped over the fence, all the hounds stopped on what they were doing, turned their heads, and stared at the young sylvari. In turn, Tzurael stared back.

Caeshe then stood next to his brother, "Brother, what are you-"

"Shhh," Tzurael hushed, turning to his brother and placing a finger onto his lips, signalling to his twin to be silent, "You'll frighten them."

Giving his brother another look, Caeshe just sighed and nodded, watching as his brother knelt down onto one knee, placed his bow on the ground, and held out one hand.

"It's alright," he whispered, "I won't hurt you."

The twins stayed where they were for several minutes, waiting for the frozen Fern Hounds to react. Finally, a small fern hound, the smallest of the pack, came timidly forward, stopping every few steps as it nervously stared at the twin sylvari. Finally it reached Tzurael's hand before it sniffed it, before giving the Ranger a timid look and then, placing its snout into the Ranger's hand.

Almost immediately, Tzurael's eyes lit up, "Name is Tzurael, do you have a name?"

Intelligent eyes glanced towards Tzurael before the small hound snuggled against the Ranger's hand, causing him to smile.

"How about I give you a name?" he whispered as he used his free hand to pet the small hound upon the head, "how about...Marsh?"

Almost immediately, a low growl emitted from the young fern hound's throat however, it sounded more like with contentment than a threat.

"Marsh it is," Tzurael continued to pet the young Fern Hound.

"I see she takes a liking to you."

The sylvari twins looked up, only to see a green skinned sylvari, his green leaf like hair sweapt over his head to the right side.

"The name is Danador," the sylvari introduced himself, "and I am the Packmaster of the hounds here."

"So...you take care of them?," Tzurael said only to glance back at his feet when Marsh rubbed against his legs.

"Of course," Danador smiled, "otherwise I wouldn't be called a packmaster would I?" He laughed, "So I'm taking that you're a Ranger?"

"Yes," Tzurael looked back at him, his eyes wide, "how do you know?"

"Besides your bow, the hound here," he nodded his head towards Marsh, whom stared at the Packmaster, "only takes a liking to those that are Rangers." Danador then shrugged, "We still don't know why but in the end, she always rejects them to be their pet."

"Pet..." Tzurael whispered as he turned his coal black eyes back towards the Fern Hound whom continued to cuddle against his legs, "My dream..."

"What?" Danador stared confused as Tzurael, placed his hand on the Fern Hound's head, "Do you want to be my partner, Marsh?"

The young Fern Hound stared back with her intelligent eyes before she rubbed herself against his legs, a response that Tzurael knew that it had meant yes.

"Interesting," Danador rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess she's all yours now. First time though I've seen her accept someone so easily."

"First time for everything," Caeshe murmured, earning himself a sheepish smile from his pod twin.

"This is our first time in Caledon Forest," Tzurael added in when the twins earned a confused look from the Packmaster, "my brother isn't really happy about it as you can tell."

"I see," Danador nodded as he gave the twins a gentle smile, "Well I wish you saplings good luck then. Caledon Forest is small to the other forests but is still is big to young sylvari like you two. Now if you don't mind, I got other hounds to look after." With that, he whistled and almost immediately, all the fern hounds rushed towards the Pack Master, tails wagging.

"Well, at least you got your pet now," Caeshe said as he turned his violet eyes towards his brother whom had scooped up the young Fern Hound into his arms, "Though she's pretty young."

"Like us," Tzurael smiled as he scratched the young fern hound behind the ears, earning a lick to the fingers in response, "a great way to form and bond a partnership."

"I guess," Caeshe rubbed the back of his neck, "if it makes you stop bothering me about getting a pet at night, then I'm all for it."

The young Ranger chuckled as he continued to pet the young fern hound, "So, ready to continue on?"

Caeshe nodded, "We just started, it would be a waste just to stop now when the sun is still high."

"Good point," Tzurael nodded as he lowered Marsh onto the ground, "Let's go then!" With that, he dashed off, his new pet running behind him.

Once again, Caeshe just shook his head and calmly walked after his brother.

Xxxxx

"Where are we now?" Tzurael asked as they came to a slow stop, his coal black eyes scanning their surroundings.

Unlike the rest of Caledon Forest, which was a lush scenery, the one that they stood now seemed almost like a Marshland, the trees covered with moss and the water filled with brown soil.

"Why are you asking me?" Caeshe asked as he raised an eyebrow, "you're not the only whose experience is new in Caledon Forest."

The young Ranger released a sheepish smile however, both twins snapped their heads towards Marsh as she started barking.

"What is it Marsh?" he asked as he knelt down next to the young Fern Hound before turning his eyes towards the direction that she was barking at.

The first thing that the Ranger saw was darkness beyond the dying trees, causing him to wrap his arms around Marsh's neck in case she had decided to run in, "What do you see in there?"

In reply to her new master's question, Marsh turned her black eyes towards Tzurael and released several whimpers and it was only then, the young Ranger understood.

"Who goes there?" He called as he stood up and notched an arrow to his bow, pointing into the darkness.

Seeing this, Caeshe pointed one of his pistols into the darkness as well, scooting slightly away from his brother to gain a better vantage point.

"It's three against one," Tzurael warned, pulling back on the string of his bow further, "come on out if you do not wish us harm."

"My, my, feisty aren't you."

Almost immediately another sylvari came out into the open, his arms raised into the air to signal that he meant peace.

Unlike other Sylvari that Caeshe and Tzurael had met so far, this one was dark in tone, his skin almost black and his armor were grown naturally, twisting around his body to give his body protection. His face was obscured by a helm with the exception of his lips, nose, and eyes which were a color of gold.

"What do you want?" Tzurael asked, hearing Marsh growl at the newcomer.

"Nothing much," The edges of the dark skinned Sylvari's lips twitched upward, "I am just surprised that a couple of dreamers actually willingly came into this area."

"Dreamers?" Tzurael repeated, "What do you mean?"

Almost immediately, something glinted in the dark skinned Sylvari's eyes, causing him to lower his arms, "I am guessing that you two are newly awakened?"

"Just last week," Tzurael murmured, "our first time here in Caledon Forest. But don't change the subject. What do you want?"

"I was just curious that is all," The dark skinned sylvari smiled, "This happened to be an area where...my 'comrades' and I currently resides. We don't get many 'visitors' often."

"Really?" Tzurael lowered his weapon, followed by his brother though reluctantly, "but we are all born of the same tree and Caledon Forest is filled with others of our kind. How do you not get visitors?"

"Perhaps it is because we are slightly...different," The dark skinned sylvari shrugged, "they tend to avoid us at all costs." Another smile faded onto the sylvari's features, "But you two are different. You came here willingly. If you don't mind, I would like to show you around, perhaps introduce you to my 'comrades' while we're at it."

Tzurael hesitated before he sheathed his bow, "Tzurael and this is my brother, Caeshe. What's yours?"

A sly smiled appeared onto the dark skinned sylvari's features, "Ansgar, known by my comrades as the Knight of Tribulation."

* * *

...I feel like this is rushed lol

and yes, first day out into Caledon and already, they met a member of the Nightmare Court Lol

Until next time, enjoy :D

~123arcalas


	3. The Nightmare Court

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**The Nightmare Court**

**Xxxxx**

It was strange to Tzurael on how such a beautiful forest such as Caledon suddenly has a 'darker' side, causing him to shift uncomfortably as they followed Ansgar through the dying trees.

He then felt something rubbed against his legs.

Glancing down, Tzurael gave Marsh a sheepish smile when she looked up at him with her intelligent eyes, "I'm fine Marsh, just..." He turned his coal black eyes towards the dark skinned sylvari in front of them, "just nervous."

"More than nervous," Caeshe whispered suddenly, causing his brother to jump, "you're scared and I understand clearly why."

Tzurael nodded at his twin as he whispered back, "I sense that something dreadful is going to happen, but what, I cannot quite seem to grasp."

"We just have to keep our guard up then," Caeshe muttered as he fingered his dual pistols around his waist, in which, his twin gave him another nod.

"There is no need to be so nervous, saplings," The twins snapped their heads towards the dark skinned sylvari, "we maybe be a bit...violent however, we are accepting of guests."

"Violent?" Caeshe repeated as his violet eyes narrowed, his hands tightening around his pistols.

"We have to in order to keep everything in order," Ansgar just shrugged, "otherwise chaos would ensue within the Court."

"Court?" Tzurael asked, puzzled.

"Ignore that I even said that," Ansgar forced a strained smile, "we prefer being...undercover, if you know what I mean."

"No, we don't," Caeshe replied.

"Well then, do not worry about it, it'll be the last things on your mind once we meet the others," Ansgar brushed it off, "and here we are."

The twins came to a slow halt behind the dark skinned sylvari, their eyes scanning the new area in front of them.

There were small pods littering on the sides of the path that was streaming uphill. However, instead of the original green color, it was a darker shade, almost black, lined with a tinge of red. Dark markers lined the path alongside with several mortars, all opened with their red-yellow petals revealed.

"Welcome to Hemlock Coil, Saplings," Ansgar smiled as he headed in the area, the twins slowly following behind him, "there are other locations located in Caledon Forest however, this one was the closest from where we were."

"If you don't mind me asking, how many are based here within the forest?" Tzurael asked as he eyed the site warily, shifting uncomfortably as Marsh released a low growl.

A sly smile flashed onto Ansgar dark features, "Enough to work on our cause."

Confusion flashing into his coal black eyes, Tzurael opened his mouth to ask another question, however, a sylvari, one that was adorned in similar armor to Ansgar, suddenly appeared in front of them, causing the Ranger to jump.

"Ansgar, where have you been? The celebration is about to-" the sylvari paused, his silver eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Caeshe and Tzurael standing behind the dark sylvari, "Ansgar, you brought dreamers here?"

"They're saplings, Wren," Ansgar explained, "I am here to introduce them to our cause."

"Ahhh, potential recruits then?" A gentle smile suddenly replaced Wren's dark look, "Then welcome to Hemlock Coil. Come, we are about to celebrate a victory today."

"A victory?" Tzurael turned his gaze towards his brother whom returned it with a look of equal confusion before he turned his eyes back towards Wren, "A victory of what?"

"You'll find that out later," The dark skinned sylvari rolled his neck, "but for now, enjoy the celebration. It is not often we gain a victory like this."

The twins turned their eyes back towards each other, the look of uneasiness seen in both of their eyes. However, out of curiousity and respect, they followed Ansgar into Hemlock Coil.

Xxxxx

The celebration was straight to the point, everyone greeting the twins with a smile or a glare as they hissed, "Dreamers," almost like as though it was a word of insult. Ansgar and Wren were with the twins as they brought them to the middle of Hemlock Coil where the celebration was taking place and in turn, both Ansgar and Wren had removed their helms to help relief themselves of their heavy armor.

Black branches decorated with forest green leaves could be seen upon Ansgar's head, his face layered like bark. Wren on the other hand had large blue berry leaves decorating his head, his face clean of any rough surfaces or bark revealing his green skin.

"Enjoy yourselves saplings," Wren shoved a bottle into each of the twins' hands, "there is no need to be so stiff."

Caeshe stared at the green skinned sylvari with doubt however looked down into the orifice of the bottle before stirring its contents and sniffing it. It smelled sweet but yet fermented, causing Caeshe to turn curious, pull down his mask, and tip the bottle into his mouth. Almost immediately a bitter taste met his tongue, causing him to spit the contents out, sputterng as his twin watched in horror.

"What? You two never had liquor before?" Ansgar asked as he held a bottle of his own, swirling the contents before taking a swig and released a satisfying, 'Aaah', causing Tzurael to stare with doubt, "Try it, just because your brother does not like the taste doesn't mean that you won't."

Doubt still deept within his coal black eyes, Tzurael stared at the bottle he held in his hands, turned his eyes towards his brother whom was glaring at the bottle of liquor before he took a swig of his own.

Almost immediately, Tzurael started coughing, feeling the bitter liquid slide down the back of his throat causing him to slightly choke.

"Don't worry, it takes a bit to get use to," Wren laughed as Tzurael stared warily at the bottle, "once you get past it, it's actually quite refreshing."

With that, he took a big gulp of his own, causing the twins to stare as the sylvari seemingly was unaffected by the sweet smelling but bitter beverage, "Keep trying it, you'll get past the taste soon enough."

Staring at the two sylvari standing before them as they continue to drink their beverage, it was Caeshe who finally had enough bravery to take another try, causing his brother to gawk as he downed half the contents.

"C-Caeshe?" Tzurael asked as the young thief lowered the bottle from his lips, his eyes twitching a bit.

"A bit bitter at first," The thief muttered as he swirled the contents, "but they were right, it's quite sweet and refreshing."

His eyes full of skepticism, Tzurael stared at his own bottle before heaving out a sigh and took another swig of his drink. Like before, a burning bitterness passed down his throat however, as he forced himself to let more of the drink past it, Tzurael felt the bitterness fade and was replaced with a sweet sensation, causing him to tip the bottle away from his lips, his eyes slightly twitching as well.

Wren noticed this, "What's wrong? Can't take it?"

Tzurael turned his coal black eyes towards the green skinned sylvari, "No, it is good just...sweet."

A smile faded onto Wren's features, "Then drink some more! We have plenty to go around."

With that, he shoved another bottle into the twins' hands before taking the empty ones and walking away. To where? Caeshe and Tzurael don't know but they accepted the sylvari's gift and started drinking, taking sips this time to make it last.

Hours passed and every time the twins finished a bottle, either Ansgar or Wren would return with a new one, handing the twins another even when they refused. After each and everyone one, a fog clouded their minds and it gets heavier after each shot. It was only after that Caeshe had lost count when he turned to his brother and slurred, "Brother...Do you not think it is time to return home?"

Tipping the tip of the bottle away from his lips, Tzurael squinted upwards and was slightly surprised to see stars filling the sky.

"H'mmmm," he returned his gaze towards his brother, whose eyes and tips of midnight blue haired glowed violet, "I suppose so, it is late."

As such, Tzurael placed his bottle upon a nearby rock, his brother doing the same. However as he attempted to take a step forward, the world seemed to rock and shift, causing the young Ranger to fall backwards right onto his bum.

"B-Brother," Caeshe slurred as he attempted to kneel down and help his twin up, only for him to fall onto his knees and fall onto his side.

"The world...seems to spin," Tzurael muttered as he shook his head, hearing his brother groan besides him, "You alright Caeshe?"

"...My head hurts," was his brother's only reply, hearing him roll onto his back.

"I see that you two had a bit much to drink."

Tzurael turned his coal black eyes toward two figures, squinting only to recognize them, "Wren...Ansgar...It this...what liquor does?"

"Only those with low tolerance," Wren knelt down and helped the ranger onto his feet, Ansgar doing the same with his twin, "I highly doubt you guys can travel like this. Stay for the night, you may return home tomorrow morning if you wish."

Turning his eyes towards Wren, Tzurael opened his mouth to answer, only to hear barking behind him.

"Marsh?" He turned his eyes towards the fern hound whom was barking at Wren and Ansgar, "Marsh, is something the matter?"

"She is just saying her agreements on for staying the night," Wren gave the ranger a smile, "we have plenty of room here for you to bed."

"You can speak fern hound?" Tzurael slurred as he and his twin were led away towards one of the high buildings in Hemlock Coil, recieving as they were led there.

Xxxxx

Once again, he was surrounded by darkness however, this time voices echoed within the void.

"Somebody! Help me!"

"The pain! Make it stop!"

"Please no! No more! Please!"

"Leave her alone!"

"Help!"

Caeshe's eyes snapped open, causing him to gasp as he abruplty sat upright, only to feel like as though a hammer had slammed into his head. Groaning as he put a hand to his face, Caeshe turned his eyes towards the side, only to see his brother sleeping besides him on the bed.

Wait? Bed?

Caeshe slid off of it, turning his eyes towards their surroundings. The walls were a dark hue of violet, dark color vines twisting around the walls before it exited through the windows or the door leading to the balcony and the hallway.

Frowning a bit, the thief recalls drinking a lot of the liquor that Wren and Ansgar had offered but after that it was all a blur. He heaved out a sigh before brushing his fingers through his midnight blue colored hair.

He then heard whimpering behnd him.

Twirling around, Caeshe's violet eyes fell upon the leaf like form of Marsh, whom had slipped out from underneath the bed.

"Marsh, don't scare me like that," He muttered as he went down onto one knee, a signal to the young fern hound to approach her master's brother to recieve several pats upon her head, "you're lucky that my weapons aren't-"

He stopped, his hands patting around his body. His coat was missing alongside his dual pistols, sword and dagger, causing him to abruptly stand up, "Where is-"

Caeshe's eyes stopped upon a nearby table, seeing his items laid upon its surface alonside with his brother's blue shade coat and his weapons. Muttering under his breath, Caeshe walked up to his before grabbing his weapons and securing them around his waist; his coat he can always put back on later. With that he turned and walked up to his brother, placing a hand upon his shoulder and shook him, "Brother, wake up. We have stayed here long enough. We have to return home."

"Hnnmhph, a few more minutes," Tzurael groaned as he turned onto his back, his arm covering his eyes, "my head is still pounding from last night."

"Same here. Now get up, something isn't right," Caeshe hissed, shaking his brother with more force.

"Hnnnng, Later," The ranger turned onto his side, causing his brother to twitch in annoyance.

"...I'll look around then," Caeshe announced, "and when I get back, you have to be up and ready to leave."

"...Fine," Tzurael murmured, "just look around long enough to let me get over this headache."

Rolling his eyes at his twin, Caeshe just turned and headed towards the door only to pause and turn his head, seeing intelligent black eyes to peer back at him, "Do you want to come Marsh?"

In response, Marsh whimpered before walking around in a circle several times before lying down, her head between her front paws. Caeshe nodded his head in understanding, "Keep him safe for me." He then exited the room.

Xxxxx

It was strange to Caeshe on how 'clean' Hemlock Coil is despite the celebration last night. It was spotless, no sign of litter or any signs of a party having occured at all.

"Something...isn't right," He muttered to himself once more.

"Help...me."

Caeshe came to a sudden halt, turning his violet eyes towards the source only for his eyes to widen.

Tied up in a corner was a female sylvari, her cherry skin showing obvious signs of abuse as she cowered behind her bound hands.

Immediately, Caeshe ran up to her, kneeling down as he took his dagger and started to cut the bonds that held her hands and feet together, "What happened? Who gave you those wounds?"

The sylvari opened her mouth to speak however, her face turned to a pale color as her green eyes caught sight of something behind Caeshe, causing him to twirl around.

Almost immediately, the thief felt something come into contact with the side of his face, sending him sprawling to the ground as the female sylvari screamed in response.

"You shouldn't have meddled with her, Dreamer," Caeshe heard someone growl as he pushed himself up onto his knees, only to feel the same hard contact knock him back down, "otherwise, you wouldn't be in trouble as you are."

Spitting out sap from his lips, Caeshe waited for a moment before he rolled, hearing metal coming into contact with earth before he unholstered his pistol, turned and fired. Like he had hoped, the bullet made a direct hit to the side of the head, the attacking sylvari slumping down onto the ground seconds later.

Heaving out a sigh of relief, Caeshe turned his eyes back towards the cherry colored sylvari, only to see her cowering in the same corner he had found her.

"Don't worry, it's okay," He approached her before kneeling down and placing comforting hands upon her shoulders, "you're alright, no-"

A sudden brush of wind passed the thief's face before he felt something warm splatter onto his pale azure features, causing his violet eyes to widen as the cherry colored sylvari choked, her hands slowly reaching up to the arrow sticking out of her neck before she went limp in his arms.

"A-Are you alright?" he broke out of his shock long enough to look down into her eyes, seeing the emptiness within, "No...No. Y-You can't be dead. Y-You were just alive moments ago. Please don't..." Caeshe's lower lip trembled, recalling moments before her life faded, his mind had connected with hers, sharing her thoughts of joy when she was alive and safe within the grove to the pain she had experienced within Hemlock Coil only to feel her consciosness being snatched away from his, causing him to feel like as though a part of him was missing, an emptiness placed within his chest. With this in his thoughts, tears fell from the young thief's eyes as he cradled the cherry skinned sylvari in his arms, sobbing as he buried his face into her shoulders.

"We had intended to keep her alive longer so that her despair can reach the Pale Tree," Caeshe heard someone speak behind him, "she was very hard to break though, even after we had forced her to watch her comrades die."

"Despair?" Caeshe lifted his head, "to the Pale Tree?" The young thief shifted his position, so that he faced the person that was behind him, "But she is our mother! She would not want despair to be shared amongst her dreaming children!"

"It is the only way to free her from the chains of Ventari's Tablet," the sylvari notched another arrow onto his bow, "and it is only then, that we can be sylvari."

Anger flared in Caeshe's eyes as he hugged the body of the cherry skinned sylvari closer to his chest, "Is that your Court's cause, Ansgar? To corrupt the dream just because Ventari's teachings is keeping us from being sylvari? Ventari's tablet is what makes us sylvari! Destroying it would destroy us all!"

"Ventari was a centuar and Ronan a mere human!" Ansgar roared, "both of whom, were not sylvari. They had lied to us, locked the Pale Tree in bonds that restrict us from being our own race. The only way we can break that is to turn her to Nightmare."

A smile twitched onto the dark skinned sylvari's features as he pulled back the string upon his weapon, "I had thought that I could recruit you into the Nightmare Court alongside your brother but from what I can see, talking to you is pointless. Might as well kill you now before you cause the Court any trouble."

Caeshe's eyes widen as Ansgar added, "Perhaps after your death, your brother would perhaps be filled with enough despair to join the Nightmare."

Anger flashed within the thief's mind as he roared, removing his dagger and sword from his belt as he released his grip upon the body, dashing towards the Knight as he released the arrow upon his weapon. A sudden pain pierced Caeshe upon the shoulder however, his rage caused him to continue to run forward, swinging his dagger into Ansgar's side as he attempted to notch another arrow onto his bow. Before Ansgar cried out in pain, Caeshe swung around his sword, feeling metal come into contact with flesh before pulling out his dagger and jumping back, barely seeing the dark skinned sylvari's head roll onto the ground as the body fell forward.

Panting, Caeshe sheathed his weapons, only to grunt as he felt the arrow dig deeper from the movement. Placing his hand onto the rod of the weapon, the young thief gritted his teeth as he tugged, feeling hot pain flash throughout his shoulder as the arrow was pulled from his flesh.

"Thorns," He hissed as he dropped the arrow onto the ground, placing his hand upon the bleeding wound afterwards.

"Caeshe!"

The young thief looked up, barely in time to see his brother come around the corner, his coat upon his shoulders, longbow in hand with Marsh following behind him.

"I sensed your despair," Tzurael came to a halt in front of his brother, "what-" His coal black eyes then spotted the bodies, "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Caeshe murmured as he tighten his hand over his wound, "first, let's get out of here before-"

A roar of rage interrupted the young thief causing the twins to twirl around, only to see Wren kneeling over Ansgar's body.

"You..." Wren spoke through clenched teeth, his silver eyes showing rage, "you killed my brother!"

With that he roared, "Courtiers!" before he stood up and unsheathed his sword and almost immediately, dark clad sylvari started pouring out of the pod like structures, causing Caeshe to swear under his breath.

"Run!" Tzurael cried as he grabbed his brother by the arm, causing the young thief to stumble a bit as he struggled to keep up with his twin.

"Kill them! I don't care if they're pontential recruits! Burn them! Destroy them! I want no evidence of them ever existing!"

"That is if you can catch up with us you rooted thorn!" Tzurael called back, causing Caeshe to hiss, "Brother, don't provoke them."

"What? There's no harm-"

Tzurael's words were interrupted as he released a sudden cry and the next thing Caeshe knew, he ran into his brother, sending both of them tumbling into the ground.

Hearing Marsh come to a halt next to them, Caeshe pushed himself back onto his knees, "Brother what's-" He paused, his violet eyes going wide as he saw the ranger curled on the ground, his hands holding his leg which held an arrow to the back.

"I've been hit," Tzurael sheepishly smiled before an arrow narrowly missed his head.

"Don't act like as though it's normal," Caeshe growled as he walked up to his brother and before his brother could even say a word, tugged the arrow from his brother's leg, recieving a yelp in response. Then he picked up Tzurael's arm and it around his neck, flinching as he felt the weight put pressure onto his wound, "lean on me so that you can walk."

The ranger hesitated, "But...your wound."

"Getting out of here alive is more important than my wound," Caeshe retorted, "hurry, they're catching up."

As such, the young thief started to move forward, feeling his brother limp alongside him. That's when they heard Marsh bark.

"Marsh, what-" Tzurael didn't get to finish as the Fern Hound suddenly dashed forward, disappearing into the marsh.

"Great, she abandoned us," Caeshe muttered, causing his brother to turn and stare, "She wouldn't just abandon us like that...would she?"

Before Caeshe could respond, he felt someone ram into him, causing the young thief to lose his grip on his brother before falling into the wet hearth.

"Caeshe!"

Gritting his teeth, Caeshe brought his head back, feeling the back of his skull ram into someone's face. Feeling his head vibrate as he listened to his attacker released colorful words, Caeshe took the opportunity to swing his elbow around, hitting the attacker on the face once more. Hearing him curse once again, Caeshe then bucked his attacker off of him, sending him to the ground.

"You accursed D-" before the attacker could finish his sentence, an arrow pierced him between the eyes, killing him instantly before his body collapsed onto the ground.

Gawking, Caeshe twirled around, only to see his brother with his bow in his hand, his face pale, "I-I lost control, I didn't mean to kill. I-I meant to-"

Another arrow flew past Caeshe's face, causing the thief to unholster his pistols and fire both of them at once, releasing a barrage of bullets upon them courtiers. Some of the bullets hit their mark, causing some of the courtiers falling to the ground with a wail or cursing him as they fell, unable to move.

Seeing his brother fight, Tzurael notched another arrow onto his bow before releasing it, watching it as it flew through the air and hit its mark.

"We have to run," Caeshe muttered as he reloaded his pistols, "We can't fight all of them at-"

The young thief felt a force hit him on his other shoulder, strong enough that it caused him to spin before hitting the ground with a 'thud'.

"Caeshe!" Tzurael called out as he notched another bow, only for him to cry out as another arrow knocked it out of his hands.

"Trouble makers aren't you?" Caeshe heard someone leer as he felt hands pull him up, restraining his arms behind his back, "but even with all this trouble, we still can make use of you."

Feeling a hand forcing his jaw up, Caeshe's violet eyes gazed into silver, feeling Wren's insanity as he spoke, "And by the time I'm done with you, saplings, you'll wish that you have never awakened."

Growling, Caeshe just narrowed his eyes as Wren released his jaw and turning to the Courtiers, "Tie them up and bring them back to Hemlock Coil. We'll continue from-"

His words were interrupted as he unsheathed his blade and sliced an airborne arrow in half, his silver eyes narrowing as he recognized a group of green cladded sylvari approaching, "Wardens."

Turning his rage filled eyes towards Caeshe, Wren then growled, "Leave them! We can't retreat when we have prisoners with us."

"But, Sir Wren, we can handle a couple of Wardens-"

"I said retreat!" Wren roared, causing the Courtier to jump, "there is more than a couple if you cannot tell, they actually outnumber us. Retreat! Or would you rather face the Wardens alone!?"

Reluctancy clear in their eyes, the Courtiers released Caeshe, whom fell onto all fours, hearing the familiar sound of feet splashing through water as the Court retreated.

"Thank the Pale Tree," he murmured as he heard the familiar sounds of bowstrings being pulled back and released, hearing arrows whistle through the air as the Wardens released another barrage.

"We need a Mender here!"

Feeling comforting arms being placed onto his shoulders, Caeshe finally relaxed, hearing his brother calling out to him as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Xxxxx

"Have you ever heard of the Three Orders of Tyria?"

"Not really, what are they?"

"Well, the orders are the Durmond Priory, the Order of Whispers, and the Vigil. They all fight against the Elder Dragons but of course, each one has a different way to do so."

"Oooh, sounds interesting, maybe I should join one?"

"Why won't you let me be an Elementalist? I don't want to be a thief."

"Your profciency in blades is better than those of magic. It'll benefit you more later on in life."

"But I enjoy magic more. Why won't you understand that?"

"Get some sleep child, you have earned it."

Slowly opening his eyes, Caeshe growned as he sat up, flinching as his wounds throbbed as he did so.

"Awake already?" A mender smiled, her birch colored features seemingly make her leaf like hair more orange in color.

"Where..." Caeshe looked around confused, "Are we back in the Grove?"

The mender nodded, "You were lucky, your brother's Fern Hound was able to track down some Wardens who were able to help you." She shook her head, "You and your brother were quite close to being taken by the Court."

Caeshe blinked several times, "If you don't mind me asking, who are the Nightmare Court?"

"My, my, they took advantage of your innocence," The Mender tsked as she turned to a table and started to put ingredients into a bowl, smashing them with a tool as she continued, "the Nightmare Court are a group of Sylvari that believe Ventari's Tablet is corrupted, thinking that it is keeping our race from being 'true' sylvari. Here drink this." She then turned and handed Caeshe the bowl whom hesitated before taking a sip. It was sweet, definately better than the drink he had back in Hemlock Coil. "I pity them because they truly believe that they are doing the right thing," The Mender sighed, "they plan on corrupted the Pale Tree to the nightmare alongside with the rest of the Sylvari so that they can be 'freed' from Ventari's Tablet. I wish they can realize that they are quite delusional if they think that."

Finishing up the small drink that the Mender had given him, Caeshe set the bowl aside, "Do you know where my Brother is at?"

"Aah, Tzurael left recently after checking up on you," The Mender smiled, cheerful once more, "He said if you were to awaken, to tell you to meet him back at your pod."

Caeshe nodded, "Thank you," He then grunted as he shifted himself out of the cot, "one more question, where are-"

"Your belongings are just outside the door," The Mender interrupted, "They've been patched and cleaned for you."

Giving the mender another nod of thanks, Caeshe headed towards the exit and sure enough, his clothes and weapons were on a table, just outside of the door. Grabbing his items, Caeshe started to pull on his clothing as he started to head towards their pod, coming to a slow halt as he approached the entrance, hesitation clear in his eyes. He had sensed discomfort and a sign of grief from his brother, an emotion that hardly ever fazes the older. Taking in a deep breah, Caeshe entered the pod.

"Brother?" he called, peering into his brother's side of the pod, only to see Tzurael seated upon his hammock with Marsh seated beside him, her head in his lap. Hearing his name being called, the Ranger looked up and gave his brother a gentle smile, "So you're finally awake." He started to pet Marsh's head whom released a small purring sound at the gesture, "It frightened me when you collapsed when the Wardens came." He released a nervous laugh, "they said it was because of blood loss. You were unconsious during the entire period of being escorted back to the Grove." Tzurael paused for a moment, letting the silence fill the room before he continued, "you did not awaken for almost two days and during those two days...your thoughts...your dream." He looked up at Caeshe, "Why didn't you tell me it was getting worse?"

"It is not getting worse," Caeshe muttered, "it's-"

"You are hearing voices within your dream! Voices within the darkness!," Tzurael interrupted, causing Marsh to suddenly jump at the sudden raise in volume of her master's voice, "It takes away your ability to rest, Caeshe. You always try to hide your exhaustion but I can always sense it. You're not getting enough rest because of your dream."

Caeshe stared at his brother, letting seconds pass before he released a strained smile, "I really am fine brother, I'm getting use to it."

"Getting use to it?" Tzurael stood up, causing Marsh to begrudgingly to remove her head from his lap, "So far from what I see, it is not getting any 'better'."

"Brother please," Caeshe sighed, "let me handle this myself." When he saw his brother's eyes narrow, Caeshe quickly added in, "I'll ask you for help when I need it. But for now, I want to do this. Alone."

Staring into his brother's violet eyes, Tzurael's eyes soften before it shifted to concern, causing the sylvari to release a sigh as he sat back down onto his hammock, "Alright then, if that's what you want, I'll respect it." He heaved out another sigh as he rubbed his fingers through his midnight blue colored hair, "Just be careful alright?"

Caeshe gave his brother another strained smile, "I'll try."

* * *

Another chapter added -3-

Anyways, their first time traveling outside of the Grove...turned out it wasn't a pleasant one .-.

And yes, Caeshe now hears voices within the darkness of his dreams. Why? You'll find out soon ;3

I should probably post screenshots of the twins or something so you guys can have a better visual outlook on what they look like. I feel like I am lacking description on their features :p

Welp, enjoy C:

~123arcalas


	4. Hide and Seek with Kraits

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Hide and Seek with Kraits**

**Xxxxx**

"How much more do we need to explore?"

Caeshe looked at the map he held in his hands before replying, "We almost got everything except for the waters." He knelt down before placing the piece of paper on the ground and pointed at at certain point, "We are here so if we move just a bit this way, we maybe able to find the waters edge."

Tzurael knelt down next to his brother and peered at the map, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips after seeing the waters circled and written in red: Danger: Kraits, "Another adventure I suppose?"

Caeshe nodded in response to his brother's question, "In order to reach certain parts within the waters, we have to fight through the kraits." The young thief lifted his gaze towards his brother's, "and I heard that they're more ferocious in water than on land."

Tzurael just laughed nervously, "Reminds of last week when we encountered our first Krait."

"I couldn't walk for a couple of days after that," Caeshe muttered, recalling how he was unable to dodge a thrown spear by the krait that glanced against his leg, leaving him temporarily crippled until he was brought back to the Grove and made a full recovery thanks to the menders. As for the Krait? Caeshe just made that the Krait can not do no harm to anyone...permanently.

"At least we saved the sylvari that it had intended to capture," Tzurael reminded Caeshe, whom couldn't help but released a smile behind his leather mask as he also recalled how the two sylvari repeatedly thanked the two before turning back to their home.

"True," Caeshe nodded as he rolled up the map and tucked it back into his pocket before standing up and offered his brother a hand whom accepted, "let's just hope that we don't encounter the Court while we're out here."

In response to his brother's words, Tzurael nodded his head in agreement.

After recovering from their encounter with the Court a couple weeks earlier, Tzurael and Caeshe unanimously made the decision to continue their venture through Caledon Forest however, every time they hear a local even mention the Nightmare Court, the twins will venture the opposite direction where they were sighted or even mentioned.

"Where's Marsh by the way?" Caeshe asked as he helped his brother standing, watching as his twin let go of his hand and dusted himself off.

"She's scouting ahead," Tzurael replied as he unsheathed his bow and plucked the string, releasing a sheepish smile, "after that incident with the Court, she always makes sure our path is safe before she lets us go on."

"Well, that would explain why she almost bit me yesterday when I tried to move past her." The thief rubbed the back of his neck as his brother laughed in response, "She has grown much these past two weeks. I'm surprised that she was the same tiny Fern Hound that you had just adopted as your partner."

The rustling of leaves interrupted the twins conversation, causing them to turn their eyes towards the bushes only to see the familiar patterns of leaves and ferns upon the hound's back.

"Marsh," Tzurael smiled as he knelt down, letting the fern hound come to him before he wrapped his arms around her neck and embraced her.

Marsh had grown the past two weeks, now the height of her Master's waist than his knees. Her leaves had grown to full maturity, giving her a long sleek coat, giving her more define features of her kind.

Unwrapping his arms from around Marsh's neck, Tzurael looked into her black intelligent eyes and asked, "Did you see anything?"

In response, Marsh released a single quiet bark before twirling around several times and placing her head upon the ground, a sign that she wants to play. In other words, yes, it was safe.

"Close is clear," Tzurael responded as he stood up, gaining a nod from his brother in response, "and do you have your Aqua Breather?"

Caeshe held up a hand, revealing the breathing apparatus, "Of course, otherwise I would have gills on the sides of my neck."

Tzurael just laughed at his brother's remark.

Xxxxx

"Brother, shush, you'll get us spotted."

"But...But I didn't know that Marsh couldn't swim. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought her along on this trip. That way she wouldn't be alone."

"Brother, please," Placing a finger to his face to signal to be quiet, Caeshe once again peered over the rocks, only to duck back down as a familiar snake like form swam past him, "There is a lot more than we had thought."

In response, Tzurael peeked over the rocks edge only to duck down as well, "A lot more."

Unsheathing his spear from his back, Caeshe peeked over the rocks once more, his violet eyes pinpointing a single target, a lone wolf away from the others.

Tzurael saw a look in his brother's eye, "Caeshe, what are you pla-"

The Ranger was unable to finish as his brother threw the spear at the Krait, a visible wiring connecting from the end of the weapon to his hand. The Spear hit its mark dead on, hitting the Krait right in the chest, killing it immediately. With that, Caeshe quickly started pulling it in, leaving behind a trail of blood as he did so.

"What are you doing?" Tzurael hissed behind his aqua breather, watching as his brother finally go to the spear end of the wire and started pulling the body towards him.

"I'm trying to clear us a path." the Thief replied in which his brother stared at him,exasperated, "There is a trail of blood leading to our current location, what makes you think-"

Caeshe once against placed a lip to his own face, signaling, once again, for his brother to be silent, and then nodded his head towards the blood trail. Unable to argue with his brother anymore than need, Tzurael turned his eyes towards the blood flow only for his body to turn cold. At the top of the trail were a group of Krait, at least six to eight of them, discussing with one another before following down the path towards the rocks.

"Caeshe," Tzurael said as he turned his black coal eyes towards his brother, only to blink several times as Caeshe motioned for him to follow before swimming away. Glancing warily back at the group of Kraits slowly moving towards them, the Ranger swam after his brother, hiding behind another group of rocks.

"What is your plan?" Tzurael asked as the Krait reached the area where they had currently inhabited.

"Just follow me," Caeshe murmured before circling around the rocks, watching the krait carefully as they also started to circle around, "and try not to make a sound."

Tzurael stared at his brother before glancing at the krait before he slowly realized his brother's plan. They were gonna try and sneak past them. Finally understanding the full potential of Caeshe's plan, Tzurael quietly swam after the young thief, watching the approaching Krait carefully before he dipped out of their view.

Hopefully this works, he thought to himself as he and Caeshe quietly swam through the now open waters, swimming their way safely from the Krait.

"That was close," Tzurael finally said moments later as they made it to the other side of the waters, turning back barely in time to see the tails of the Krait disappear.

"Too close," Caeshe muttered before glancing around, "There." He pointed at a tall wooden structure, hastily nailed together, barely visible through the water, "it has been said that at the bottom of that structure, you can gather energy there to make yourself stronger."

"Bottom?" Tzurael repeated, scanning the large structure with his coal black eyes before he continued, "Isn't that where the Champion Krait Neoss is?"

This caused the twins to glance towards each other.

They were informed of the Champion by the Lionguard located nearby before the twins had entered the waters. The Lionguard claim that the Krait wasn't easy to take down as the others and it takes more than a couple of people to actually defeat it in battle. When Tzurael said that it sounds like as though they have done it before, their response was that the Lionguard has however, a new one always appears around that structure, possibly a replacement to the one that they had killed. As such, the twins were told not to go near it unless they want a rough fight and possibly a horrible death.

"I want to know what is at the bottom that is suppose to increase your strength," Tzurael murmured as he turned his eyes back towards the structure, "but that Neoss..."

"Should we head back to the Grove and ask for help then?" Caeshe asked as his violet eyes spotted a familiar but larger tail disappear into the foggy water.

"No," Tzurael quickly replied, crossing his arms as in a way to pout, "by the time we go to the Grove and come back, it will be dark then. Then we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

The thief turned his violet eyes towards his twin, "So you're saying you can't wait until then?"

"Of course, what else would I be saying?"

Caeshe just sighed, "The best we can do is try and sneak past it then. The problem is, how?"

"How about that trick you used with the group back there?" Tzurael pointed out in which he got a shake of the head in response.

"It won't work, we are in open water and the closest cover is too close to the structure," Caeshe explained, "even if we were to hide ourselves completely, they'll still discover us."

Tzurael heaved out a sigh of frustration, "So now what? We just swim downwards to the bottom and pray to the Pale Tree that we won't get spotted?"

Caeshe just shrugged, "What else can we do?"

As such, the thief started swimmming downwards and moments later, Tzurael reluctantly followed suit. Soon, the twins reached the bottom, their eyes staring wide eyed at the wrecked ships.

"Many must wonder the history behind them," Tzurael muttered as he placed a hand on a rotting hulk of a ship, his eyes curious as he scanned the remains, "how they have fallen to the bottom of this lake and purpose were they used for."

"We can wonder about that later," Caeshe leaned over and grabbed his brother by the arm, literatelly pulling him away from the rotting ship, "for now, let's figure out what's at the bottom of that structure and head out of here before the Kraits spot us."

Disappointment could be seen in the Ranger's eyes as he stared longingly at the wreck before he turned his eyes back towards his brother and nodded, feeling his twin release his arm and the two continued their way towards the large structure.

"We're almost there," Caeshe whispered as his violet eyes peeked over a wrecked hull, his twin following suit, "Just a bit more..."

Waiting for some passing Krait to pass by, Tzurael and Caeshe quickly swam towards the bottom of the structure, heaving out a sigh of relief when they turned and saw no Krait had noticed them.

"Alright," Tzurael turned his black eyes towards their treasure, "let's see what it is." As such, the twins swam a bit closer and stared curiosly on what they saw.

A altar of rocks, piled on top of each other neatly, met the twins sight. It woudl seem ordinary if it wasn't for the fact that it seemed to glow, giving it a sense of benevolance...if it wasn't for the remains of bones upon the top.

"This is their sacrificial altar," Tzurael gasped before he slightly drew back, only stopped by his brother whom pushed him behind a pillar, barely in time to see a shadow pass by.

"The strong energy could be underneath the rocks," Caeshe murmured as he crept a bit closer to the altar once the close was clear, "but..." He hesitated, "Who knows what would happen if we disturb it."

Tzurael stared at the glowing altar, feeling the turmoil of curousity and cautiousness battling within him. In the end, curiousity won. Without another sound and before Caeshe could stop him, Tzurael reached out a hand and placed his hand on top of the altar, making sure to avoid the bones placed atop the rocky surface. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of strength pass through him, causing him to release a small gasp before it faded. Blinking several times, Tzurael slowly removed his hand from the altar before staring at it and started flexing his fingers. He could barely feel it but Tzurael feel the strength still lingering within. As such, he turned his eyes towards the thief, "Caeshe, touch it."

The thief gave him a skeptical look, "I just saw you touch it and then stare into space for like a minute and you're telling me to touch it?"

"The energy is true," Tzurael whispered excitedly, "Just touch it and you'll see what I mean."

Giving his brother another doubtful look, Caeshe slowly and hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on top of the altar as well. There was a long minute pause before the thief finally retracted his hand, flexing it like his brother had done.

"Interesting," Caeshe said as he studied his hand a moment, "I dont' feel any difference but yet...I do."

"This is glorious," Tzurael exclaimed, "I can't wait to leave Caledon Forest to see-"

A roar interrupted Tzurael causing the twins to twirl around, only to push away from each other when a Krait barreled passed them.

"Let's get out of here!" Caeshe cried, pushing his legs against one of the beams to give him a temporary boost to the surface, his brother doing the same. However as they struggled to swim away from the structure, a large Krait, one that completely dwarfs the others suddenly swam in front of the two, stopping the twins in their tracks.

"The Neoss," Tzurael gulped, eyeing the net and spear it held in its hands.

Almost like as though it sensed his fear, the Neoss smiled before tossing his spear towards them. Seeing it coming, Caeshe and Tzurael spun out of the way, feeling the weapon barely brush past them as they did so.

"Get out of our way!" Caeshe roared as he unsheathed his other underwater weapon, a speargun, and fired several shots at the Krait.

When he earned a roar of pain in response, Caeshe turned to his brother, "Lets go!"

Without another word the twins, swam right past it, feeling its claws swipe at them, only to release another roar as it realized it missed. Sensing an opportunity, Tzurael unsheathed his own speargun, twirled around, and fired a shot, feeling the discharge push him back slightly. His aim had been true, hitting it right in the Krait's eye, feeling it howl as it scratched at its own face, trying to rid of the remants of the small spear.

Seeing that they had caused enough distraction, Tzurael turned and swam after his brother. Soon, the twins pulled themselves out of the water, greeted by Marsh as she started barking and running towards them.

"Get ready, Marsh," Tzurael sputtered as he pulled himself onto his feet, scrambling over to his longbow before notching a bow and aiming it towards the water.

Nothing.

Heaving out a sigh of relief, the Ranger turned his eyes towards his brother who had sheathed his weapons around his belt.

"Out of all that ruckus, they didn't chase after us," Caeshe murmured as his violet eyes narrowed at the rippling surface.

"Maybe they don't find us worth to chase?" Tzurael just shrugged, "or either that, they're busy trying to calm the Neoss down?"

The young thief just sighed, "Oh well, at least they've left us alone at least."

Releasing a smile, Tzurael nodded, "So what else do we have left on the map?"

Giving his brother a tired smile from behing his Aqua breather, Caeshe walked over to his bag before removing the map, shaking it open before waling back to his brother and showed it to him.

"The only place we haven't gone to is this island here," He pointed at a small island near where they were, "it is called, Weeping Isle...Interesting name if you want me to be honest."

Tzurael pondered for a moment, releasing an audible "h'mmmm' before he responded, "We can always look there later. It's just an island after all, not much to explore really." He then smiled at his brother, "Also our trip to Lion's Arch is tomorrow, I'm too excited to explore anymore today."

Caeshe just gave his brother a nervous smile.

It was a couple days after their encounter with the court when Malomedies gave them new information that could help with Tzurael's dream. He had told the twins that Lion's Arch was a large city that had many races and it inhabited by many. In other words, a great place to gain information. As such, the twins came to a mutual agreement to travel to Lion's Arch on a marked date and tomorrow happened to be that day.

"I wish I was excited as you are, brother," Caeshe responded, "but I am still nervous about leaving Maguuma Jungle in general."

"We are gonna be fine, Caeshe," Tzurael chirped as he stroke Marsh upon her head, "we have gained plenty of experience, both battle and terrain, so that we can defend ourselves once we leave."

The thief hesitated but nodded, "If you say so, brother."

The twins then set off back towards the Grove.

* * *

Even though this is a short chapter, I'm on a roll with this story lol

I feel like I'm rushing it though but the ideas won't stop coming u

Well, enjoy C:

~123arcalas


	5. Lion's Arch: A New Friend and the Battle

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Lion's Arch: A New Friend and the Battle Pits**

**Xxxxx**

* * *

**I've decided to put a warning here that there will be a inter-racial relationship of the same gender (Male) so that you can see it coming and skip along if you want to. It's a short section however, just in case for those that don't want to read it.**

**Enjoy C:**

* * *

"Well, aren't you going to walk in?"

The twins stared skeptically at the small asura handling the controls nearby before turning their eyes back towards the large contraption in front of them, finding it somehow intimidating and...unknown.

Caeshe and Tzurael had passed the machine several times during their stay in the Grove however had not expected to use the giant metail cricle ring with a swirling purple mist inside anytime soon, especially to leave Maguuma Jungle.

"I don't have all day!" the asura was growing imapatient, tapping his foot to show his annoyance.

Placing a comforting hand onto his brother's shoulder before letting it slide off, Tzurael was the first to step in, hearing Caeshe call out his name before he felt himself being engulfed by the swirling mist.

The first thing that Tzurael noticed was the sound, a sound of what resembled roaring winds rushing past his ears. Next, was the feeling of something soft brushing past the only areas of where his skin was opened which was located around his neck and face. To Tzurael, it felt like feathers, a sense that somehow contradicts the roaring winds past his ears. However, what Tzurael hadn't expect was to suddenly feel himself being cut off, unable to sense the Mother Tree or even his brother's consciousness within his mind. However, before his mind can process to panic, the connection returned, feeling the roarings winds quiet down to a large crowd of chatting races and his eyes meeting with large buildings and crowds. Gawking, Tzurael almost didn't notice his brother stumble in next to him, grumbling under his breath.

"I am never going to-" Caeshe stopped, his eyes going almost as wide as his brother's, "This...is Lion's Arch?"

"I suppose so," Tzurael continued to look at the port with great awe, "it's bigger than I had imagined."

"Way bigger." Caeshe nodded his head in agreement, pulling on the straps of his pack so that it is more secure on his back, "also meaning more people."

The Ranger turned his eyes towards his brother and gave him a smile, "Also meaning, a chance to make more friends." He then grabbed his brother around the arm, "Come on, let's find a place to stay before we start looking around."

With that, he start to half drag is brother down the platform, too excited to notice his brother saying that he was capable of leading himself around. It was only when they reached the circular square when Caeshe finally reached out and pried his arm away from his brother, causing Tzurael to stop and turn.

"Is something the matter Caeshe?" the Ranger asked, concern clear in his eyes.

The Thief just sighed, "Nothing is wrong brother it's just that..." Caeshe hesitated, "If we're looking for a place to stay, don't we need money?"

The twins stared at each other.

"Uhm...we have some money from venturing around Caledon Forest right?" Tzurael asked as he slung one strap from his pack off his shoulder, flipping the bag to his chest so that he could start rummaging through the pockets.

"It's not much," Caeshe said as Tzurael took out a small bag, "and I highly doubt that even if we could find a really cheap place here, that it'll be enough to pay for the two us and even then, not even for a night."

Tzurael turned his black eyes towards his twin, "...Maybe we can find a job around here? Just long enough to help us stay here long enough to look around."

Caeshe just sighed, "We don't have much of a choice if we want to stay here."

The young Ranger slipped his pack over his back before rubbing the back of his neck and then blinked, "...Have you seen Marsh?"

Caeshe just gave his brother a look, "I thought she was behind us, is she not..." The thief glanced around, seeing no sign of the Fern Hound nearby, "...that little..."

"Maybe she wondered off?" Tzurael glanced around only to pause as he recognized a leaf like tail disappear around a corner, "There!"

With that, the Ranger ran after the Fern Hound, Caeshe following suit.

"Marsh!" Tzurael called as he weaved and swerved around the crowd, his black eyes struggling to keep sight of the pet, "Marsh! Stop! You'll get lost here!"

A loud 'bark' could be heard over the crowd of chattering people, causing the Ranger to speed up his pace, "Marsh!"

With one final turn, Tzurael lunged himself at the Fern Hound, feeling his arms wrap around her neck. His weight and momentum caused both him and Marsh to tumble to the ground, causing both to fall into a pile.

"Tzurael!" Caeshe came to a slow halt, kneeling down next to his panting brother and fern hound, "Are you alright?"

"Just let me catch my breath," Tzurael groaned, "Please do me a favor and keep a tight hold on her whlie I recover."

Nodding his head, Caeshe wrapped his own arms around the Fern Hound's neck, letting his brother release his grip on her before putting the palms of hands onto his face, "Did anyone see that?"

Caeshe glanced around, "I'm...not sure." He turned his violet eyes back towards his brother, "So far so one had to seem to notice."

"That is because it's normal around here to see Rangers running after their pets."

The twins glanced up, only to see a human male, his white strands brushed almost completely over his right eye, smile at them in response.

"Nobody knows why but whenever a Ranger comes here with a pet, it gets all excited and runs off," The human added as he chuckled, "So from I had just witness, you two are new here, am I correct?"

The twins did not reply however just continued to stare, staring into the human's pale blue eyes, scanning his physical features from his pale skin to his bronze and winter ice draconic armor. In response, the human shifted uncomfortably, "Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to offend if I did."

"Oh, no you didn't," Tzurael pushed himself onto a sitting position, "It's just that..."

"You're the first human that we have actually met," Caeshe finished, "we're just..." His voice faded, his eyes continuing to stare in curiousity.

The human just gave a gentle smile, "So newly awakened I take it?"

"Yes," Caeshe's eyes turned suspicious, "How do you know?"

"Let's just say I have a close friend that taught me the ways of Sylvari," the human chuckled, "but he quite different but that's another story."

He then put out a hand, causing the twins to stare at it in confusion, "My name is Aoshiro and welcome to Lion's Arch."

Xxxxx

"Here you go," Aoshiro set two mugs in front of the twins before seating himself, taking a sip of his drink before he noticed that the twins didn't move an inch to pick up their mug, "Is something wrong? Does it smell bad or is this your first time having a drink outside of the Grove? Or perhaps the tavern isn't the right setting for you to relax?"

"Oh no, we are quite grateful for buying us drinks, it's just," Tzurael released a sheepish smile, "We just had a bad experience with liquior."

The white haired human stared at the twins, his azure eyes widening a bit before he laughed, causing Caeshe and Tzurael to stare.

"What's so funny?" Caeshe asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"You thought this was liquoir?" Aoshiro chuckled, causing the twins to stare.

"Well, is it?" The young Ranger asked and in response, he gained a shake of the head.

"If you want me to tell you truth, I can't handle anything with alcohol or liquior in your case," the human smiled, "Even a small sip will cause me to go tipsy or uh, drunk." Aoshiro smiled at the looks on their faces before he took another sip of his drink, "It's actually a non-alcoholic beverage. The flavor is quite nice on the tongue and quite hard to gain access to."

"Hard to gain access to?" Caeshe repeated, suspicion in his eyes, "then how were you able to gain such a drink?"

Aoshiro just gave the young sylvari a wink, "Oh, let's just say that it's only available to a certain order." He then took another sip of his drink before he added, "Try it, I promise, chances of you getting drunk off of this is quite non-existent."

Continuing to watch the human sipping his drink, Tzurael finally picked up his mug and slowly took a small sip. Just like what Aoshiro had explained, the flavor was nice. Not too sweet however not too bitter, just right. Tipping the mug away from his mouth, Tzurael licked the edges of his lips.

"Brother?" Caeshe leaned in closer to his twin, "how...how is it?"

"It's nice," Tzurael swirled the drink in his mug before he took another sip, causing his twin to turn his violet eyes towards his own mug before picking it up by the handle, lowered his mask, and took of a sip of his own.

"It is nice," Caeshe's eyes widen as he lowered the mug back onto the table before licking his lips, "and no sign of liquior in there as well."

"I told you so," Aoshiro chuckled before taking another sip of his drink, "can't be drunk on the job."

"Job?" Tzurael repeated, his eyes showing interest.

"Nothing special," Aoshiro swirled his drink before taking another sip, "I just go around and using my skills as a Guardian to help others, nothing much." He smiled, "Are you here also to control the uncontrollable?"

"Huh?" The ranger stared at him confused.

"It's nothing," Aoshiro quickly took another sip of his drink before turning his eyes towards the window, "H'mmm, Clamain should be here soon."

"Clamain?" Caeshe repeated, "is that your sylvari friend you talked about earlier?"

"Yes," Aoshiro smiled as he turned his eyes back towards the twins. "he and I are quite...well...close, if you can say that."

"Close?" Tzurael took another sip of his drink, "how close?"

The soft smile still upon his features, Aoshiro opened his mouth to speak however, his pale azure eyes moved to something slightly behind them, "Clamain."

Hearing the name of Aoshiro's friend, the twins turned around, only to stare into white eyes as the midnight haired sylvari released a shy smile, his pale azure skin almost hiding the white patterns on his face and arms. The young sylvari's hair was pulled back into a ponytail, keeping some leaf like hairs away from his face. His clothes were of Braham's armor, the furs the shade of white and the rest shades of dark azure.

"Shiro," Clamain turned his white eyes towards the human male, "did you make new friends?"

"In a way, yes," Aoshiro smiled before patting the empty seating next to him, "Sit down and I'll explain."

Staring nervously at the twins, Clamain slowly made his way towards the human Guardian before seating himself.

"Clamain, this is Tzurael and Caeshe," Aoshiro introduced, "Tzurael, Caeshe, this is Clamain."

"Uhm, It's very nice to meet you two," Clamain bowed his head slightly, the nervous smile still upon his features.

In response, Tzurael and Caeshe responded with a bow of their own. "It is nice to meet you as well, Clamain," Tzurael greeted, a smile fading onto his features, "if you don't mind me asking, how long were you awakened for?"

"19 months," the azure haired sylvari shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "still young in terms of our race."

"Of course," Tzurael nodded before he rubbed the back of his neck, "although my brother and I are quite young compared to you. We're hardly a month old each."

That's when a confused look flashed into Clamain's white eyes, "Brothers? Then that means..." His eyes widen, "You two are pod twins."

"Uh, yes, that's right," Tzurael rubbed the back of his neck once more, a nervous smile flashing onto his features, "I know it is quite, erm, exciting since twins are a rare occurence amongst our race but-"

Clamain suddenly stood up, his action abrupt enough that his seat was pushed back, "I'm sorry, I must...I must leave." Then before anyone can say antyhing, the azure skinned sylvari exited the tavern.

"My apologies," Aoshiro sighed as he turned his pale azure eyes towards the twins, "I almost forgotten that he is uncomfortable around other Sylvari."

"Uncomfortable?" Tzurael reapted, confusion clear in his and his brother's eyes, "Why would he feel uncomfortable?"

"Your race is connected to each other in a way, am I right?" When he gained a nod as a response, Aoshiro continued, "Clamain doesn't like to feel the emotions of others however, he doesn't want to cut himself off from the Dream either. As such, he left the Grove and came here in hopes of staying away from others of his race." He released a sheepish smile as he added, "It turned out to be a lot harder than he had imagined."

"That would explain a lot then," Caeshe murmured, turning all eyes to turn towards him, "I sensed an uneasiness being emitted from Clamain the instant he entered the room." He then nodded his head apologetically to the Guardian, "and we apologize for interrupting your meeting with your friend."

Aoshiro just gave another gentle smile, "It is alright, I have enjoyed meeting you two and once Clamain calms down, I bet he would say the same."

Tzurael bowed his head to the white haired human, "Thank you, Aoshiro, it has been great meeting you as well." He then lifted his head and releasd a sheepish smile, "If you do not mind, do you know of a place where we can earn money? My brother and I we sort of came here a little...short."

Staring at the twins, Aoshiro released a chuckle, causing Tzurael to rub the back of his neck, and Caeshe to look away, a dark tinge appearing onto his face, "Since it is getting dark soon, your best bet is the battle pits. It can get quite rough however it's a quick way to earn money." His face then turned serious, "Be careful though, there have been cases of deaths recently though so far they have been ruled as 'accidental'." His features brightened back into a smile, "It could be found just before the gates to enter the docks, just go straight forward once you leave here."

Tzurael bowed his head once more to the Guardian, "Thank you." With that, both he and Caeshe stood up and left, leaving the white haired male alone at the table in the tavern.

Watching the twins leave, Aoshiro slowly stood up from his seat before turning towards the exit that his comrade had taken and exited as well, only to come to a stack of stairs. Calmly, he went down about two or three cases of stairs before he recognized the blue leaves of hair upon the sylvari's head whom had placed his arms upon the edge of raised fences, his white eyes staring into the city.

"Clamain? Are you feeling alright?" Aoshiro leaned against the banister, placing his arms upon the ledge as well, "I must apologize, I had forgotten about your sensitivity to others of your race."

In response, Clamain turned his eyes towards the Guardian, his lips twisted upwards into a gentle smile, "I forgive you Shiro, you did not wish any harm to come from the twins." He released a nervous laugh, "I just left because thanks to the fact that they are twins, their mental link is stronger than other Sylvari so I just..." He heaved out a sigh, "now it is I who must apologize for abruptly leaving on your new friends."

The white haired Guardian just gave the sylvari a gentle smile, "And it is my turn to forgive you Clamain, though it is unneeded."

The color on Clamain's face turn a slightly darker shade, a sign that he was blushing, "W-Well it just to be sure that you weren't offended for my earlier behavior."

Aoshiro just chuckled, "You're a very kind sylvari, Clamain." And with that, Aoshiro leaned in and gave the sylvari a kiss on the lips before he added, "and that is one of the reasons why I love you."

Xxxxx

"There's the gates," Tzurael walked up to the large structure, sliding a hand down on the dark wooden side as his brother paused next to him, "So where are the battle pits?"

His violet eyes glancing around the area several times, Caeshe finally nodded his head towards a roaring crowd, their backs turned towards them as they cheered, "I'm betting it is over there."

Turning his black eyes towards the crowd, Tzurael slowly nodded and the twins started to head towards the area. Making it to the far back, Tzurael hesitated before he tapped one of the onlookers - a black furred charr- on the back. Almost immediately, the charr twirled around, a look of annoyance clear in his golden eyes, "What do you want?"

Having to look up at the charr thanks to its height, Tzurael gawked a moment, his eyes scanning the large feline before he quickly shook his head and replied, "My brother and I want to sign up in the battle pits. Do you mind showing us-"

"Sign ups are over there," The charr interrupted, nodding his head towards a board in the corner of the area, "now if you don't mind, I'm busy at the moment."

With that, the Charr turned his attention back towards the fight, only to curse under his breath, the words, 'I knew I shouldn't have bet on him' hardly audible.

Turning their eyes towards each other to help process on what was going on, the twins finally and slowly made their way towards the board, only to pause as a small asura looked up at them, climbed onto a ladder, and gruffly said, "Name?"

"Uh, Tzurael," The Ranger quickly responded, only to blink as the Asura picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the board before turning his large eyes towards the Thief.

Staring hesitantly at the board before turning his eyes back towards the Asura, it took Caeshe several seconds before he took a deep breath and said, "Caeshe." Almost immediately, his name was put up onto the board.

"We're lucky that you two came along," the Asure grunted as he started his way down the ladder, "We're short on fighters today and our income has been pretty low." Rubbing his back, the asura then added, "If you guys put up an interesting fight, then I'll consider giving you guys a hefty pay."

"Erm...Thank you...Sir?" Tzurael slowly said, turning his black eyes towards his twin whom shrugged and murmured, "We don't have much of a choice. Our names have already been put up."

Hesitation clear in his eyes, Tzurael turned towards the asura and opened his mouth to speak.

"Next up! Scyllix Coinflint vs Tzurael!"

"Eh?" The Ranger blinked several times, "What? My name had just been put up there. Why so soon?"

"Like I told you, we're short on fighters," the Asura used the back of his hand to rub his nose, "Now get in there, we don't have all day."

Giving his twin a worried look, Tzurael just sighed as he placed his pack on the ground, removed his sword, dagger, and longbow, the former he sheathed around his waist and the latter he held in his hand.

"No pets allowed," The Asura added in quickly when Tzurael took several steps forward, Marsh had followed.

"But..." Tzurael hesitated, "But she's my partner."

"Exactly why no pets allowed," The Asura frowned, "it's a 1 on 1 battle. It wouldn't be fair if it's '2' v 1."

Giving the Asura a defeated look, Tzurael knelt down in front of Marsh, petting her as she whimpered, "Stay here girl." With that, he turned his black hues towards his brother whom nodded before he stood up and entered the pit.

Making it towards the center, Tzurael looked up at his opponent only for his heart to skip a beat. He was facing a charr, almost two heards taller than he was, wearing heavy armor however tufts of gray furr lined with white could be seen on his bare neck. Black horns curled back into almost a devilish look, causing Tzurael to gulp as the Charr gave him a toothy grin, an obvious look saying, 'You're just an appetizer.'

"Alright, you know that there are no rules here," The Asura announced from his spot, "with the exception of 'try' and not to kill each other. We don't want anymore deaths here in the pits than needed." With that, he then released a out, "May the battle begin!"

No sooner had the words left the the announcers lips when Scyllix unsheathed twin swords, causing Tzurael to gawk before he jumped back to dodge a slash. Seeing another slash coming, Tzurael leaned back to avoid getting his neck slice opened, only to feel the charr kick his feet from right underneath him. Landing on his back, Tzurael felt the world spin before his vision cleared, only to see Scyllix looming over him, his sword raised above his head. Quickly, Tzurael rolled to the side, barely feeling the sword brush against his medium armor before he rolled further away and pushed himself back onto his feet.

"Stop moving you little weed," The gray furred char growled as he marched towards Tzurael whom fumbled with his longbow before he finally notched an arrow, aimed, and fired. To his disappointment, Scyllix easily raised one of his blades and knocked the arrow out of the air, causing the charr to growl, "Is that the best you got?"

Gulping, Tzurael notched another bow however aimed it towards at the charr's bare feet, a loud "TWANG!' being released into the air as he let go of the drawstring of his weapon. A roar could be heard as the arrow pierced Scyllix's foot, causing many of the onlookers to cringe as he grabbed the end of the weapon and ripped it out, "You little wee-" He stopped, his red eyes narrowing when he saw nothing where the young sylvari had just been standing.

"Where are you?" Scyllix growled as his eyes scanned around, not realizing a faint outline of Tzurael follow closely behind him.

"Thank you Caeshe for teaching me that trick," he murmured as he recalled his twin struggling to teach him on how to turn 'invisible' only for the twins to improvise when Caeshe suggested that a single arrow hitting its target was needed to activate the small magic.

"I heard that!" With that, the gray furred char twirled around, swinging his blade back, barely catching Tzurael if he hadn't ducked. Sadly, this didn't seem to work either since as soon as Tzurael ducked, a foot came his way, coming into contact with his jaw, sending him flying back onto his back, his weapon flying out of his hands. Feeling the familiar sensation of sap filling his mouth, Tzurael didn't have time to recuperate when he felt something grab him by the collar and punch him with enough force to snap his head to the side. And punch him again. And again. And again.

Slowly realizing that it wasn't going to end soon, Tzurael fumbled towards his dagger on his waist, feeling the familiar wooden handle before prying it out of its belt and blindly stabbed it into his opponent. Feeling the familiar sensation of metal sliding into flesh, Tzurael heard Scyllix cry out before feeling his weapon being roughly pulled out of his grip, feeling the grip upon his collar being released and the endless assault brought upon him ceased. Groaning a bit, Tzurael forcibly pushed himself back onto his feet, stumbling a bit when the world spun once more.

"You little weed!"

Sensing Scyllix charging towards him, Tzurael barely dodged towards the right, hearing a sickening 'crunch' when the gray furred charr's head made contact with the wooden and dirt wall behind them. Releasing another roar of rage, Tzurael's vision just cleared enough to see the look of fury on Scyllix's face.

"I'm gonna kill you, you pest!" he roared as he spun his dual swords, expertly aiming them towards the young sylvari.

Pulling out his remaining weapon from its sheathe, Tzurael parried one of the blades however released a cry when the other sliced into his shoulder.

"Tzurael!"

Hearing his twin calling out his name, the Ranger gritted his teeth before he ducked below another slash before slashing at the charr's abdomen, hearing the metal slice into flesh before twirling around, leaping up, and giving a hard kick into Scyllix's face. The charr stumbled back, clutching his face as he released a colorful flow of curses, giving Tzurael enough time to glance around, see his fallen longbow, before rushing up and scooping his prized weapon into his hands.

Twirling around to face his opponent only to see him slowly recuperate, Tzurael notched his bow once more however, pointed it upwards and started to release a barrage of arrows, releasing them just at the right angle for the arrows to land onto their intended target: Scyllix.

By the time the charr had realized what had hit him, he was already onto the battle pit floor, struggling to get back onto his feet.

"You...little...weed," Scyllix choked before he went still, causing a rise of panic to appear into the young Sylvari's chest.

_Did..Did I kill him?_, his face pale, Tzurael slowly and cautiously approached the fallen char and poked him several times with his longbow. He released a sigh of relief when the charr twitched a bit. He was still alive but, barely.

"Winner! Tzurael!"

Hearing the crowd applause, Tzurael released a sheepish smile before climbing up the stairs back towards his twin.

"Brother, you alright?" Caeshe walked up to his brother whom was holding his injured shoulder, "come on, we should leave and get that injury of yours checked."

"Not until we win this," Tzurael blurted, causing his brother to give him a stare, "I'm not leaving here empty handed."

"But Brother..." Caeshe gave his twin a worried look, "you're injured."

"That's what I get for being clumsy," The Ranger released a sheepish smile, only to hear a whimper next to him.

Glancing downwards, Tzurael just smiled at Marsh whose eyes were full of concern, "I'm fine Marsh, just a little...cut up."

The Fern Hound released a bark followed by a low rumble, clearly not taking the small joke as being funny.

Tzurael just sighed before turning his black eyes towards his twin, "I got beaten and sliced up by that Charr. I am not leaving here empty handed after what I've just been through."

Staring at his twin, Caeshe just released a sigh of defeat, "Fine then but after my match is over we're collecting our wins and leaving. I don't think you can handle another fight."

Tzurael just released a chuckle, "Well, at least Aoshiro is right about one thing."

Caeshe gave his brother a puzzled look, "What?"

"That the battle pits are a rough place."

The Thief just released another sigh as he shook his head, "Brother, really? It was completely obvious." He released another sigh before squinting at the board only for his eyes to widen, "Oh no."

"Caeshe?" Tzurael turned his eyes and stared at the board as well, "What? You're just gonna fight next what's so-" He paused, squinting his eyes even further when he read the class below his brother's opponents name, "A Mesmer?" He turned his eyes towards his brother, eyes wide, "Caeshe."

Instead of replying, Caeshe nervously fingered his pistols, sword, and dagger, jumping when he heard the asura cry out, "Caeshe vs Hilal Constanstine!"

"Please don't wield a staff," He murmured as he gave his twin a frightened look before heading down the stairs, "please don't wield a staff. Please don't wield..." Caeshe looked up, only to see the familiar weapon being wielded in his opponent's hand, "A staff."

"You look nervous."

Hearing his opponent speak, Caeshe diverted his attention away from the staff towards his opponent only to blink. The Mesmer was adorned in black and teal carrion robes, almost giving off a vibe that Caeshe recognizes as coming from a Necromancer however, the familiar aura of pink and purple can be seen vibrating visibly around this hands. The Mesmer was human, with white strands that reaches just past his chin, his right eye covered but his left eye visible to show a pale azure eye color, almost white against his pale skin. However, what caught the attention of the Thief the most, was how small the human was. He was about a good a head and a half shorter than Caeshe, the latter actually having to look down at the human to look him into the eyes even from the distance that he was standing. And what makes it even more unbelievable is that he not only wields a staff but a greatsword can be seen strapped onto his back, both weapons either as tall or even taller than he.

"What are you staring at?"

Being snapped out of his trance, Caeshe stared nervously at his opponent whom scowled.

"If you don't mind me asking," the Thief hesitated, "Are you...Hilal Constanstine?"

The Mesmer gave the Thief a blank look, "Yes, I am him. Otherwise I wouldn't be here." He stabbed the end of his staff into the ground, "and don't underestimate me just because I'm small."

Staring hesitantly at the Mesmer once more, Caeshe jumped when the announcer called out, "Everyone knows that there are no rules with the exception of unnecessary killing! May the battle, Begin!"

In that instance, a pink circle appeared beneath Caeshe's feet and almost immediately, he collapsed onto his knees, coughing, feeling sap coming up from behind his throat. Looking up, Caeshe rolled out of the way when Hilal blasted a ball of energy towards him narrowly dodging it before he rolled back onto his feet, unsheathed his dual pistols and released a barrage of bullets towards the Mesmer. Calmly, Hilal chanted under his breath before waving his hand, pink dome appearing around him as he did so. Much to Caeshe's chagrin, each bullet that had struck the dome he felt himself weaken, his eyes going blind before crying out as he felt his feet give out beneath him.

"I hate fighting Mesmers," Caeshe grumbled before he rolled, barley dodging another Chaos Storm before sheathing his pistols and removing his dagger and sword from around his waist.

"Finally learning that bullets aren't gonna work huh?" The edges of Hilal's lips twitched upwards, "but that's not gonna help you much." Almost immediately, two clones flashed next to the human Mesmer, causing Caeshe to groan as he rolled away, barely dodging two energy orbs being thrown at him.

Getting back onto his feet, Caeshe stood up and tossed his dagger at one of the clones, getting it directly in between the eyes before it disappeared in a flash of shattering glass. Catching his returning dagger, Caeshe rolled once more when he sensed another Chaos Storm being summoned underneath him before twirling around and using his sword to slice at the unfortunate clone's neck, hearing it choke before it shattered into pink butterflies.

"You're nex-" Before Caeshe could even his sentence, he turned around only to barely see a greatsword flying into his chest, sending him flying. Landing roughly onto the ground onto his back, Caeshe gasped as he felt the wind being knocked out of him but screamed when a pink beam hit him, having not noticed a clone forming next to him with greatsword in hand. Gritting his teeth, Caeshe unholstered one of his guns and fired, hitting the clone in the neck, causing it to disappear into butterflies once more.

Panting, Caeshe got onto his feet only to scream when he felt another beam hit him, causing him to crumble onto his knees, coughing to the point of retching.

"Caeshe!" Looking up into the crowd, Caeshe barely saw his brother pushing his way to the front, concern clear in his eyes, "Caeshe!"

"A friend of yours I take it?" The young Thief turned his eyes back towards the human Mesmer only to see him standing in front of him, greatsword in hand, "no, closer than that. You're brothers aren't you?"

"What do you care?" Caeshe growled as he fumbled to grab his other pistol with his other hand only to feel it being knocked away by a single stroke of Hilal's weapon.

"Just give it up, you don't have enough experience," Hilal frowned, "I can tell that you two have just recently awakened. You have no experience in fighting a Mesmer."

"Doesn't mean I can't try," Then before Hilal could react, Caeshe abruptly stood up and rammed into his chest, sending them both flying into the ground, the Thief landing on top of him. Then taking his dagger, Caeshe brought it down into the Mesmer's chest, expecting the familiar sensation of metal digging into flesh. However, to his surprise, Hilal shattered into pink butterflies beneath him, causing the Thief to twirl around only to feel himself fly back as another greatsword was thrown into his chest.

"You got guts, that I have to admit," Hilal snapped his fingers, summoning two more clones whom ran up to the gasping sylvari, forced him onto his knees before restraining his arms behind his back, "but guts is nothing without a plan."

Hilal stabbed his greatsword into the ground before unsheathing his staff, his hands vibrating with pink and violet aura as he did so, "Matches don't end until the opponent gives up or is knocked out." The edges of his lips twitched upward, "I don't know how to knock out an opponent without dealing a lethal blow so if you don't mind, can you surrender?"

Caeshe looked up at the human Mesmer, eyes narrowing before he spoke, "No."

A frown formed onto Hilal's features, "Have it your way then." He raised his free hand over Caeshe's head, his fingers glowing with the familiar pink and violet aura.

Almost immediately, Caeshe started screaming, causing everyone present to cringe as the young Sylvari struggled against the clones, only to find their grip unrelenting.

"Caeshe!" Tzurael attempted to rush down the stairs, only for two charr to block his way, "Let me through! That's my brother!"

"No one can enter until the match is over," one of the Charr gruffly responded, easily pushing the ranger back with one of his paws.

"But he's in agony!," Tzurael protested, hearing Marsh barking at the large felines next to him, "I have to go to him! Please! At least stop the match!"

"Until the opponent is unconscious or says he surrenders, the match cannot end," The other Charr added in, causing Tzurael's face to pale.

"Please, you don't understand the pain he's in," The Ranger's voice cracked, "he and I are connected, he's in so much pain. Please, stop the match."

"We're sorry kid," The First charr responded, "rules are rules, we have orders to follow."

Tears formed in Tzurael's eyes before he turned his gaze back towards his brother, "Caeshe!" He shoved his way to the front once more, "Give up Caeshe! This battle isn't worth it! Surrender!"

"No!" Caeshe gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to suppress the pain.

"You're gonna die if do not say the simple words, "I surrender"" Hilal growled, "say it and I'll let you go."

"No!" Caeshe cried out again however his body started to shake followed by the young Thief choking, his eyes rolling back into back head.

"Hilal!"

Hearing his name being called out, the Human Mesmer snatched his hand away from the young Sylvari's head and the two clones disappeared into shattered butterflies. Nothing holding him up anymore, Caeshe fell forward, his body still convulsing.

"Shiro," Hilal calmly said, his azure eyes glancing up towards the Guardian who was at the top of the stairs, his face empty of emotion as well.

"This fight is over," Aoshiro murmured, turning his eyes towards the asura whom took a couple steps away from the Guardian, "give everyone their well earned pay and get out of here."

"B-But we're not done yet, the Sylvari didn't-"

"End this fight or do you want to face me next," Aoshiro growled, causing the Asura to gulp.

"Y-You heard him, the fights are over," The announcer called out, causing everyone to release a chorus of protest, "everyone who had betted or fought, come here to earn your pay."

The crowd slowly dispersing, Tzurael finally jumped into the pit, ignoring the stairs completely as he rolled onto the ground, crawling his way towards his brother, "Caeshe."

Feeling his brother continuing to convulse, Tzurael glanced up, yelling "We need a Medic!" Then turning his attention back to his brother, Tzurael added, "Hang on Caeshe, someone's coming."

"Didn't you hear him!" Aoshiro roared as he descended down the stairs, causing everyone to jump, "Get a medic! Or do you want me to call the Lionguards here! I have plenty of excuses to make to arrest everyone!"

"Medic! Medic!"

Hearing someone call out for a medic, Aoshiro sighed as he shook his head, finally coming to a stop in front of the Human Mesmer, "Hilal, I told you can't come here anymore."

"I was bored," Hilal shrugged, "it helped pass the time."

"There are ways to entertain yourself than fighting here," Aoshiro frowned, "Hilal please, keep your sadism in check. You have tortured enough people here to give yourself a record. They even gave you a nickname."

"The Demon Mesmer, I know," Hilal released another shrug, "it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does matter," Aoshiro sighed, "If they catch you Hilal, then you'll be sent to prison. Causing others to suffer is a crime in itself."

"Not my fault that they're so weak."

"Hilal!"

The Mesmer said nothing except sheathing his staff and picking up his greatsword, "I'll see you back home Shiro, I'm done for today."

With that, Hilal brushed past the Guardian, whom turned back and sighed, "To think that I raised you."

"Aoshiro?"

The Guardian turned around, giving the Ranger a smile, "Just Shiro if you don't mind, I respond to that better than my full name."

"Shiro," Tzurael hesitated for a moment, "You...You know that person?"

"He's my brother," Aoshiro just gave the sylvari a sheepish smile, "Not blood related if that's what you are thinking. I found him out in the streets, a runaway, like myself." He sighed, "I raised him but I guess the trauma of his past was just too much to get over."

"What...What happened to him?"

Aoshiro gave the Sylvari another smile, "If you want to know you have to ask him yourself, but for now, let's get your brother some help."

The Guardian gently turned the convulsing Sylvari over, scooping him into his arms, "Even after calling for a medic, no one came." He sighed, "Come on, I know a place where he can get some help."

"You mean, we're not taking him to a mender? Or whatever you humans call a mender?" Tzurael asked in which he was given another smile in response.

"In a way," The Guardian paused for a moment, "have you ever heard of the Order of Whispers?"

* * *

**I was gonna put in more things but after I saw the word count I'm like "Okay, time to stop" lol.**

**Anyways, Aoshiro, Hilal Constanstine, and Clamain are actual characters that were made by my friend and I (Tzurael and Caeshe also exist in game as well ;3). Aoshiro (Aoshiiro in game) and Hilal Constanstine are mine while Clamain belongs to my friend. **

**Yes, we made Aoshiro and Clamain an actual couple lol**

**You can instantly tell that Aoshiro is part of the Order if you know "Control the Uncontrollabe" quote. I forgot the response to it but I believe it's "Reach the UnReachable". Only those of the Order of Whispers know how to respond which is why Aoshiro brushed it off when Tzurael was confused at the words lol**

**The Charr, Scyllix, is just a random char I made on the spot so sue me if he sucks -3-;;;**

**Aoshiro, Hilal, and Clamain will make frequent appearances in this story so expect them to appear often :3  
**

**Anyways, Enjoy C:**

**~123arcalas**


	6. Onwards to the Priory

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Onwards to the Priory**

**Xxxxx**

"Why are we in the sewers?"

Instead of gaining an immediate response, silence permeated through the air as Tzurael followed Aoshiro whom still carried the now still Caeshe in his arms

"The Order of Whispers, we're very...reclusive in a way," Aoshiro finally replied, "We like to be hidden from sight but close enough to keep a close eye on things."

"So the sewers is the answer?" Tzurael asked, in which he got a nod as a response,"Alright then, I understand that but why can't we take him to-what are they called?- a hospital? Wouldn't the healers there be more capable of healing him than going underground?"

"Sylvari biology is still unknown to many," Aoshiro replied, shifting his arms to ensure that Caeshe doesn't slip from his grasp, "we have some sylvari menders where we are going."

"And that is?..."

"A Bed and Breakfast" The Guardian smiled at the confused look in the young Ranger's eyes, "All I have to say is this, whatever you hear you must leave it behind you in that cave."

"Cave? It's in a-" Tzurael stopped, his black eyes going wide when he and Aoshiro walked through a sewer gate, only to enter a large cavern filled with board walks and structures, many races walking down the walks as they spoke to one or rushing past each other, holding something within their hands as they did so.

"Welcome to the Lost Grotto Tzurael," Aoshiro nodded his head to a passing Agent, "This is a hidden operation of the Order of Whispers. Just make sure to keep it hidden when you leave, alright?"

Slowly nodding his head, Tzurael followed the Guardian to one section of the room, only for a hooded female figure to step out, arms on her hips, "Lightbringer Shiro." Her tone of voice was clear that she wasn't pleased, "Why did you bring civilians here? Especially since last time you-"

"Keeper Olda, please," Aoshiro released a strained smile, "We'll talk about this later but for now." He gestured towards the young twin in his arms, "this young sapling needs some help at the moment."

Heaving out a sigh as she shook her head, Olda glanced around before she waved, "Hey! Medic!"

One of the Agents, a Sylvari adorned in light armor paused and pointed at himself in which Olda responded, "Yes, come over here, you're a specialist in healing those of your own race right?"

The Agent nodded before he approached the group and placed the back of his hand against Caeshe's forehead, "I am guessing that he fought a Mesmer?" The Sylvari turned his eyes towards Tzurael whom nodded as he stared into green hues, "This might take a while then." He then lifted his eyes at Aoshiro, "I'll take over from here."

The Guardian nodding at the Sylvari, Aoshiro carefully slid Caeshe into the Agent's arms before the Mender started to leave, causing Tzurael to reach out, "Wait, where are you-"

"Tzurael," A gentle hand was placed onto his shoulder, only for the Ranger to release a small hiss as his wound stung, "I think it's time that you stop worrying about your brother and tend to your own wounds."

Glancing up at the human Guardian with his black eyes, Tzurael hesitated, "But...but he's my-"

"He's your brother and I understand that," Aoshiro released a strained smile, "but I highly doubt that he'll be very happy when he awakens only to see that you are still injured."

Rubbing his injured shoulder only to wince as he felt the wound throb, Tzurael heaved out a sigh of defeat, "I guess you are right."

Aoshiro then patted Tzurael's uninjured shoulder, "There should be another mender around here, hopefully." He glanced around before he turned his pale azure eyes back towards Tzurael, "First, let's find you a place to rest."

With that the white haired human started to lead Tzurael towards one of the rooms.

Xxxxx

"Lightbringer Shiro, please, you have to stop bringing in civilians in here, especially sylvari, you know how much they like to talk."

"Calm down, Keeper Olda, they're safe and Tzurael even made agreed to forget about this place once they leave."

"That is Tzurael. What about his brother? Will he keep the secret of the Lost Grotto?"

Blinking several times, Tzurael groggily turned onto his side, his vision barely clearing to see Aoshiro and Olda argue near the entrance of the room.

After Aoshiro had led him there, the Guardian left to search for a Mender and in that short moment when the human was gone from the room, Tzurael just collapsed onto the bed that took up the space there and the next thing he knew, he was dreaming of his home back in the Grove, resting beneath the boughs of his mother. That was until he was awakened by Aoshiro's and Olda's conversation.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Tzurael swung his legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stretch, however, only to release a hiss as a sharp pain hit his shoulder, causing him to lower his arm and grasp it with his free hand. This caught the attention of the two Whisper members.

"Careful Tzurael," Aoshiro warned as he approached the young sylvari and placed a comforting hand onto the Ranger's uninjured shoulder, "One of the agents came and tended to your wound while you were asleep so don't stress yourself or it'll bleed again."

Blinking several times at the Guardian, Tzurael focused his attention to his shoulder only to see that indeed that it had been tended too, bandages crossing his now bare chest and shoulder to keep the wound closed.

"We also used a special ointment to ease the swelling on your face as well," Olda added in before Tzurael turned his black eyes towards her, "Aoshiro told me that he found you two near the battle pits. I'm guessing that your opponent roughed you up a bit?"

Hesitation in his eyes, Tzurael nodded, "It was our first time there..." His voice faded, turning his eyes towards the floor before he added, "and it was a foolish mistake."

"No need to blame yourself," Aoshiro released another strained smile, "it was I who sent you there. If there was anyone to blame, it would be me."

Looking up at the Guardain, Tzurael shook his head, "No, the person who had harmed my brother was yours. He is to blame." The Ranger stayed quiet for a moment before turning his eyes back towards the floor, "I'm sorry. I-I got angry and-"

"Do not apologize," Aoshiro interrupted, "Once I know that you and your brother are well enough to leave the Lost Grotto, I immediately will head home to speak to Hilal about his actions."

Tzurael once again looked back at the Guardian, hesitation clear in his eyes, "I do not wish to place your brother in trouble. All I am saying-"

"Do not worry about it," the Guardian interrupted again, "Hilal had done this before to others. You're just lucky your brother made it out alive."

"Wait, your brother killed fighters in the battle pits?" The Ranger looked at him shocked.

In response, Aoshiro gave him a reluctant smile, "You know those 'accidental' deaths that I had mentioned before? Those deaths were caused by my brother alone."

"But he looks so young for a human," Tzurael hesitated once more, "how old is he? 16?"

"14," the Guardian corrected, giving the Ranger another strained smile when Tzurael gave him a gawking look, "he is quite young to be out in the battle pits however, if you grew up in the same environment that he had went through, it's a great place to release your anger." Aoshiro chuckled, "Before I had to spar with him to ensure he did not get out of control in public."

"...How did that turn out?" Tzurael asked hesitantly, however a bit of curiousness can be seen in his eyes.

Giving the Ranger a sheepish smile, Aoshiro raised one of his arms and unclasped the straps to the guards around it, causing Tzurael to stare quizzically until the human Guardian removed the metal arm guard. Almost immediately, Tzurael's black eyes saw thin scars sliding across the Guardian's wrists before seeing scarred tissue cover the Guardian's appendage, causing him to gawk.

"I'm just lucky he had bad aim then," Aoshiro calmly added in as he re strapped the heavy guards back around his arm, "otherwise I would be dead by now."

Unable to speak for several moments, Tzurael finally turned his wide black eyes at the Guardian, only to choke out, "Why would you let him do that to you? You consider each other brother's right? And those thing scars...did he do them too?"

"If I hadn't sparred with him back then, he would have killed innocent lives," Aoshiro replied, giving the Ranger a nervous smile, "and since he had considered me his brother, chances of him killing me are quit slim."

"But your scars, not all of them could have been from your brother...right?" Tzurael shifted uncomfortably, watching the Guardian intently as he stood their silently, his pale azure eyes staring into the Ranger.

"That story, is for another time," Aoshiro gave him a strained smile, "now get some rest. You should heal up quickly so that you may see your brother."

"Caeshe is awake?" Tzurael jumped up, only to grunt when a sharp pain ran from his shoulder.

"Not yet," Keeper Olda replied, "but he will make a full recovery."

"May I see him then?" The Ranger only earned a shake of the head as a response, "He still needs plenty of rest and so should you."

Olda then walked up to the young Sylvari and forced him to sit back down onto the bed, "The more you rest, the faster you'll heal."

"But-"

"And the faster you'll heal, the sooner you get to see your brother," Olda gave the Sylvari a comforting smile, "we'll come back and get you once he recovers."

With that, the Order of Whispers Agent left the room, leaving Tzurael and Aoshiro alone.

Silence permeated between the two, even when Aoshiro leaned up against the wooden walls, his pale azure eyes staring at the hardwood floor.

"I still don't understand why your brother is so...violent," Tzurael finally broke the silence, "It makes me wonder what had happened to him in the past to turn him the way he is."

"I'll give you a hint," Aoshiro gave him a smile, "it's not 'what' it's 'who'."

"What?" Tzurael gave him a confused look, "What do you-"

He was interrupted by a 'bark', causing him to snap his head towards the doorway only for his eyes to light up, "Marsh!"

Sliding off of the bed, Tzurael went down onto one knee, slightly flinching as the Fern Hound flew into his injured shoulder however, he wrapped his arms around his partner's neck, brushing his fingers through her leaf like fur, "How could have I forgotten about you?"

"You have a loyal friend you got there," Aoshiro smiled as the Fern Hound leaned away from Tzurael's grasp and gave him a lick on the face, "when you passed out she refused to leave your side. It took two or three of our own Rangers to tempt her away with food and even then she was reluctant."

"I am just glad that she is safe," Tzurael smiled as he petted her, only to laugh when she licked his face again, "once my brother and I recovers, I'll buy you something from here. A treat, a toy, whatever you like."

Marsh barked, wagging her tail in response.

Xxxxx

"No, please, no more."

The voice was pleading, almost desperate in Caeshe's ears as the blurriness around him started to clear, only for him to blink several times as he recognized his surroundings of high brush and trees.

_Caledon Forest...what am I..._

"Do you hear that suffering in her voice?"

"What a delicious sound, shall we continue?"

"No...Please"

A scream echoed throughout the air, causing Caeshe to cringe.

Where was it coming from?

Pushing himself onto his feet, Caeshe took several small hesitant steps forward, his violet eyes cautiously scanning his surroundings as he continued to move forward. Each step he took, the screams got louder, causing the young thief to clenched his hands in an attempt to calm himself down.

_Act too rashly and it could get yourself killed_, he told himself as he finally made it to his intended location, only for his blood to go cold.

Two courtiers stood over another sylvari, whom now laid unmoving upon the ground in front of them, one of the former twirling a sword in his hand.

"She didn't last very long," The one held the sword murmured, his blue berry leaves seemingly glowing though it was still light out, his silver eyes glowering at the body.

"Fah, there's always more prey to go around," The second one, seemingly the older, with midnight colored skin and golden eyes, just gave the body a kick against it's fair green skin, "she's just one of the expendable ones."

Caeshe stood where he was, gawking at the two Courtiers before a sudden rage filled within his chest. How dare they think that others of their race were expendable. How dare they throw away life like it was nothing! Before the young thief could stop himself, he reached down to his waist, feeling the familiar shape of his weapons before unsheathing his pistol and aimed one of them at the head of the golden eyed sylvari.

BANG!

The familiar sensation of a slight backfire in his hand was enough to snap Caeshe out of his rage, his violet eyes blinking several times as he slowly absorbed on what he had done.

_Did I..._ His eyes searching the area where the two Courtiers were, he took a step back when he realized that they had disappeared, the only evidence that they had even been there was the body of the sylvari that they had tormented.

"I told you there was plenty of prey to go around."

Jumping at the new voice, Caeshe twirled around and pointed his pistol behind him only to feel it being hit out of his hands. Before he could cry out, Caeshe found himself being shoved till his back was against a tree, an arm shoved against his neck to pin him against it.

"You're not gonna get away that way, Dreamer," the Courtier smiled as Caeshe clawed at his arm, just chuckling as he listened to the sounds of nails scraping against his armor, "don't worry though, we'll let you go once we 'convince' you to join our cause."

"I know about the Court," Caeshe choked, wrapping his hands around the arm of the courtier, "and there's no way that I'm going to turn the Pale Tree to Nightmare."

The edges of the dark skinned courtiers lips twitched upward, "I was hoping you would say that." Then he turned his head back towards the second courtier who had been standing behind him, "Wren! Bring your blade here."

Almost immediately, the blue berry haired sylvari's silver eyes lit up, "You're gonna let me go first this time, Ansgar?"

"Ans-Ansgar?" Caeshe stared wide eyed, only to squirm a bit when the Courtier pressed his arm against the Thief's neck.

"That's my name," Ansgar grinned, his golden eyes glinted with blood lust, "my brother and I have been searching for a proper prey this time so don't disappoint us."

"You're-You're Pod twins?" Caeshe clawed at Ansgar's arm again as Wren came up to them, brandishing his blade.

"We may not look alike but yes, we're pod twins," Ansgar smirked, "the very first if I may add." Ansgar nodded his head, a signal to Wren whom calmly leaned back and with a single stroke, swung the blade forward into Caeshe's side.

Xxxxx

Caeshe's eyes snapped open, releasing a heavy gasp as he abruptly sat up, only to feel the world spin around him.

"You're finally awake."

Snapping his eyes towards the source of the voice, Caeshe attempted to back away from the approaching hooded figure only to fall off the bed he had occupied, releasing a groan in response.

"Oh my, my apologies for causing you alarm," the Whisper's Agent released a sheepish smile as Caeshe pulled himself back onto his feet, "Lightbringer Aoshiro and your brother have brought you here after your fight at the battle pits." The Agent just shook his head, "though I don't understand why the Lightbringer brought you here, should have brought you to a hospital."

Feeling his head throb, Caeshe just placed a hand onto his face, "Where am I?"

"You're in the Lost Grotto my friend," The Agent smiled, revealing his bark-like features, "just be sure to forget everything you have seen here once you leave."

"Just tell me where that Mesmer is and let me kill him in his sleep and it's a deal," Caeshe murmured as he rubbed his temples.

"I am taking that you are talking about Hilal?" The Whisper's Agent asked in which the young Thief nodded his head, "Well sorry to disappoint you but he is not a member of the Order of Whispers."

"Order of Whispers?" Caeshe repeated only to be coaxed back onto the bed in which he obeyed.

"The oldest out of the three order of Tyria," The Agent turned to a table before grabbing something and then handing it to Caeshe before motioning for him to take it, "The Durmond Priory and the Vigil are the other two but they're not important."

The Agent then released a sheepish smile when Caeshe sputtered after he took a sip of the drink he was given, "It's a bit bitter but it should help with the headache."

"It tastes just like - what do you call it?- Alcohol?" Caeshe coughed as he handed the drink back to the Agent whom just chuckled as he took it.

"It's a great way to clear one's mind, just don't take a lot of it," Finally, the Agent laughed, "Mesmer's are widely known for their ability to mess with the minds of their enemies." The Sylvari Agent then placed the cup back onto the table, "You're lucky you were able to make it out alive, especially since it was Hilal."

"He has a reputation of killing his opponents, I'm guessing?" Caeshe asked as the Agent turned and motioned for him to lie down in which the Thief obeyed.

"Not just for killing," The Sylvari shook his head, "he is a sadist, enjoying the torment of his enemies before he kills them. That's why he was given the title "The Demon Mesmer."

Caeshe stared in response, "Well, that would explain a lot."

"Enough talk," The Agent hushed, "Get some more rest, you will need it."

In response, Caeshe snuggled deeper into the covers, "Where's my brother?"

"Your brother is another room, recovering from his own injures," The Agent smiled, "Do not worry though, once both of you are well, you'll see each other again."

The young Thief nodded his head, "Thank you."

Watching the Agent leave the room, Caeshe then closed his eyes however, did not sleep. He does not want to risk falling into another nightmare.

Xxxxx

"A facility in a snow covered mountain?" Aoshiro asked in which he received a nod in response.

Hours after reuniting with Marsh, Tzurael then stated that he hadn't eaten in a while and as such, Aoshiro had lead the young Sylvari to the dining area which only consisted of a few tables and where they were served. After getting their meal, Tzurael and Aoshiro had seated themselves and the Guardian had then decided to ask about the Ranger's dream.

"My dream is the reason why my brother and I left the Grove," Tzurael continued, "we were hoping to gain some answers but..." he shook his head as he sighed, "We got none so far."

Thinking thoughtfully, Aoshiro took a sip of his drink before he responded, "I think I know what your dream is."

That caught Tzurael's attention, "You do?"

The Guardian nodded in response, "It sounds a lot like the headquarters of the Durmond Priory, one of the three orders of Tyria." He then chuckled, "Unlike the Order of Whispers, the Priory are more into knowledge and lore however, they share their information with others with great caution." Aoshiro took another sip of his drink, "Their main base is located in Lornar's Pass, located in its mountains which are covered in snow. From what I can tell, your dream is telling you to go there."

"Lornar's Pass...that's far from the Grove, isn't it?" Tzurael hesitated when he earned a nod as a response, "But I do not want to stay at the Priory, I just want to accomplish my dream and-"

"Just because you dreamed of the Priory doesn't mean that you have to join their ranks," The white haired human gave the Sylvari a gentle smile, "Perhaps you just need to give them aid? We'll never know until we get there." Aoshiro then brushed his fingers through his white strands as he sighed, "However, Lornar's Pass is a dangerous area. Slippery slopes with Grawl and Dredge crawling everywhere, it's better to travel in groups so you can watch each others backs."

"My brother and I, we can handle it," Tzurael hesitated before he added, "I hope."

Aoshiro just laughed in response, "How about I help you get to Lornar's Pass? I happen to know the way. Not only that, two of my family members are part of the Priory. I'll send them a message and they'll meet us along the way." He then swirled his mug, watching the contents move in the same pattern, "also I think it's a great opportunity for Hilal to pay for what he has done."

"Wait, you don't mean..." Tzurael's black eyes widen when the Guardian nodded, "No! We are not taking him with us, not after what he had done to Caeshe. My brother and I are capable of taking ourselves, we don't need your help anyways."

"Tzurael," Aoshiro's face turned serious, "I know that you're hesitant to ask for help, especially since you and your brother are new of what is outside of the Grove but I insist on escorting the two of you to the Priory." The Guardian then heaved out another sigh, "and just like I had said before, it's a great punishment for Hilal to aid you and Caeshe."

"How is escorting punishable to him?" Tzurael asked in which Aoshiro smiled.

"It may not seem like it but Hilal can feel regret," The Guardian responded, receiving a skeptical look as a response, "we'll tell him that Caeshe is took weak to travel and he'll help us though, somewhat reluctantly." He then chuckled, "also, Hilal does not like to travel much and he especially hates the cold. It'll help teach him a lesson that Karma can seriously lash back at you."

Staring at the Guardian, Tzurael heaved out a sigh of defeat, "Alright then, if you insist." The Ranger then lifted his gaze towards Aoshiro, "But if he tries to hurt my brother again-"

"Do not worry, I"ll be there," Aoshiro gave the Ranger a gentle smile, "and trust me, Hilal won't try anything when I'm around."

Tzurael just sighed, "If you say so."

Xxxx

"It feels great to stand again," Caeshe promptly said as he stretched, earning a smile from his twin as a response, "that Mender kept insisting that I rest even though I felt better."

After a couple of days of staying within the Lost Grotto, Caeshe finally managed to convince the Mender that he was well enough to stand. It was then that he met with Tzurael and was told of their plans. Though reluctant at first after hearing that Hilal was going to escort them along with Aoshiro, he eventually agreed only if the Mesmer was taking the lead with Aoshiro walking behind him to keep an eye out. Currently, they were at the entrace of Lornar's Pass, having just recently entered the snow peaks from Snowden Drifts, a trek that surprisngle didn't take long.

"You know how Menders are, they worry too much," Tzurael chuckled before he heard the clanking of armor behind them, signalling that the human Guardian was approaching from behind.

"Hilal scouted ahead earlier. He said that that he'll meet us at the end of this path" Aoshiro said, a small fog coming from his lips as he spoke, "it shouldn't take long." He then squinted up at the sky, "and we should hurry if we want to get to the Priory before nightfall, it gets dark here quite early."

"As long as we don't slide down the side of the mountain or get killed by Dredge or Grawl, I'm fine with camping here," Tzurael smiled in which he earned a stare by his twin.

"I prefer spending the night in a safe place," Caeshe retorted, in which the Guardian laughed in response.

"Let's hurry before Hilal gets impatient," Aoshiro then checked the strap of his pack to ensure it was secure, "who knows, if an avalanche appears out of nowhere, it could be his work."

"What?" Tzurael stared at the Guardian wide eyed while Caeshe frowned behind his mask, watching as Aoshiro casually strolled past them, "so you're saying that he could get us killed?"

"No, just enough to cause serious injury," Aoshiro gave the twins a sheepish smile when Caeshe gave him a blank stare, "do not worry though, I made him promise that he will not harm us during this escort."

"How about 'after'?" Tzurael asked whom shifted uncomfortably, hearing Marsh whimper slightly beside him as the Guardian pondered for a moment.

"Nabiha and Khayru will meet us once we reach the Priory," He replied, causing the Ranger's shoulders to sag with relief, "they might even meet us part way there which might be a benefit to us since they know the terrain better than I." The Guardian then gave the twins a comforting smile, "and if they are there, then most likely Hilal won't cause any trouble."

"Does he listen to them more than you?" Caeshe blurted only to gain a shake of the head as a response.

"Hardly," Aoshiro sighed, "he only listens to me most of the time mainly because I practically raised him when we were both young. Nabiha and Khayru on the other hand..." He shook his head once again, "We've only known them for about five years, not a long time in Hilal's perspective."

"Wait a minute, five years? I thought you said that they were your family," Tzurael stared confused, his Fern Hound partner barking in agreement.

Aoshiro just chuckled, "Just like Hilal, I consider Nabiha and Khayru as a part of my family though we are not blood related." He gave the twins another gentle smile, "You'll understand more once you meet Khayru."

"And why is that?" Caeshe asked, strolling beside the Guardian in response.

The gentle smile still upon his features, Aoshiro opened his mouth to respond, however was interrupted by a "You're late."

The three came to a sudden pause, all eyes turning towards the black and teal clad Mesmer whom was clothed in heavy light armor to keep him warm. Though a hood shadowed most of his features, a scowl was clear upon his face.

"We still have plenty of light out Hilal," Aoshiro explained, "if we make haste we still have-"

"Let's go," Hilal rolled his eyes as he unsheathed his staff from his back, "the more we chatter, the less time we'll have."

Annoyance clear in his eyes, Caeshe took several steps forward, "Why won't you let your-"

He was interrupted when an arm got in his way, causing the thief to look into pale azure eyes, the Guardian shaking his head in response. Staring into the pale blue hues, Caeshe released a sigh of defeat, murmuring, "Alright."

Giving the Thief an apologetic smile, Aoshiro then proceeded to unsheathe his mace and shield, following the Mesmer before the twins unsheathed their own weapons and followed suit.

"Up ahead there's a board walk," Hilal explained moments later, "meaning we have to walk in a line otherwise it's going to be crowded."

"A boardwalk? Why would they need a boardwalk here?" Tzurael asked.

The instant the question left his lips, the group came to a halt at the end of a path, only for the twins' eyes to widen as they saw wooden planks built onto the side, held up with thick rope.

"That's why," Was all Hilal said as he stepped onto the planks, the winds more noticeable as his hood and cloak billowed.

Giving the twins another comforting smile, Aoshiro soon followed Hilal before turning back around and motioned his hand for the twins to follow. Staring hesitantly at the white haired Guardian, Tzurael stepped onto the boardwalk first, taking small hesitant steps forward with Marsh trailing behind him, whimpering as she followed the same pace as her master.

"Just don't look down, Marsh," Tzurael smiled warily as he continued to inch his way across the boardwalk, however, paused as a strong gust of wind slammed into his body, causing him to reel forward. That's when he felt a firm grip catch him by the arm, pulling him back to help regain his footing.

"By the Pale Tree," Tzurael's eyes were wide as Marsh whimpered at his side, turning so that he could face his brother, "Thanks for the save Caeshe."

"Be careful! Or do you want to fall to your deaths?"

All eyes turned to Hilal whom had paused and turned to face the rest of the group, the frown still visible on his face, "I've met plenty of clumsy Sylvari in my life but so far, you are the clumsiest that I have ever met." He rolled his eyes as he scoffed, "And you call yourself a Ranger? I even met amateurs that are better on their feet than you."

"Why are you always so angry and mean all the time!?" Caeshe roared, causing his brother to jump and lean against the mountain side, "were you not taught respect by your parents!?"

Aoshiro's eyes went wide, "Caeshe! Stop it!"

"What? He's getting what he-" Caeshe stopped as he turned his violet eyes back towards Hilal only to see a dark look had overcome the younger human male's features, his eyes full of fury.

"Parents?" Hilal spoke through clenched teeth, his hands visibly tightening around his weapon, "What parents? I had nobody but Shiro when I grew up!" Pink and Violet sparks appeared around his hands, "You may have no father but at least you sylvari at least have a mother that loves you no matter who you are!"

"What are you saying?" Tzurael slowly pushed himself off the side of the mountain, his black eyes staring into Mesmer's pale azure, "are you saying that your own mother-"

He was interrupted when Aoshiro yelled, "Watch out!" and felt himself being shoved into his brother, causing the Ranger to fall on top of the Thief.

However, as he struggled to stand, Tzurael felt the planks shake beneath him, causing him to abruptly sit up and gawked at a pile of rubble which inhabited the area where he had just stood.

"Brother, if you don't mind, could you please get off?"

Feeling his brother shift underneath him, Tzurael quickly got back onto his feet before turning around and offering his brother a hand which he accepted, "Sorry, got distracted for a moment."

"Well don't get distracted again," Hilal snapped as he started writing a mantra in the air, preparing the spell, "this wasn't an accident in other words, Grawl is nearby."

"Keep an eye out," Aoshiro's eyes narrowed as his grip tighten around his shield and mace, "Grawl like to suddenly appear when their enemies least expect it."

As if on cue, a burst of magic suddenly flew through the air, narrowly missing the Guardian's head by mere centimeters before hitting the mountain side behind him.

"I see one!" Tzurael notched an arrow onto his longbow and quickly aimed to his left and fired, hearing the arrow fly past his brother and hitting flesh and a sudden cry being released from his target, "Got it."

"Then more should be around," Hilal's eyes scanned his surroundings before turning around and blasted his mantra into a chest of an oncoming Grawl whom crumbled to the ground in an instant, "Shiro, how many do you think will ambush us this time?"

"Last time we got ambushed like this, about ten," Aoshiro released a nervous smile before waving his hand out in front of him, an invisible barrier appearing in front of the young Mesmer before arrows bounced off its clear surface, "but since there's four of us, I fear that their numbers are doubled."

"Great," Hilal rolled his eyes before summoning another mantra and shooting it at another grawl, the monkey like figure flying through the air and sliding down the mountain side, "that means we might have to spend the night out here."

"And what's wrong with that?" Aoshiro gave his brother a smile whom frowned in response.

"You know the answer to that," Hilal waved his hand out in front of him, summoning a clone behind Caeshe which started to cast mantras at the Grawl attempting to flank then, "I hate the cold."

With that, Hilal summoned another clone which started casting mantras at the grawls in the front, "Only use long ranged weapons that way we have less of a risk falling-"

A sudden cry caught the Mesmer's attention, causing all eyes to turn towards the back, only to see Caeshe reel his arms in an attempt to regain his balance, having failed to notice a Grawl pass Hilal's clone and caught him off guard. The grawl had swung his club like weapon at Caeshe whom leaned back, failing to notice that his feet were already on the edge of the planks when he took a step back to avoid the swing. Immediately, Tzurael swerved around and notched an arrow, letting it fly so that it would hit the Grawl in between the eyes, killing it instantly.

"Caeshe!" Tzurael leaned forward, his hand barely grasping onto his brother's before another Grawl came and slammed the Ranger into the Mountainside, causing him to lose his grip, "Caeshe!"

His eyes wide in shock and fear, Caeshe felt his feet completely leave the platform, causing him to frantically reach out with his hands to grab anything that could slow down his fall only to grab air in response. Before he could cry out, the sound of shattering glass interrupted his thoughts before he felt someone grab his arm and pull him close, hearing the person chant under his breath before he heard shattering glass once more.

"Damn it!"

Caeshe blinked, _What?_

Before he can process the words, he felt his body slammed into a hard surface, feeling something cushion the impact before slamming once again in which seems to be the opposing side. Dazed and confused, Caeshe felt himself being pulled in further only to slam into another surface. However this time, he heard a loud 'snap' followed by a cry before he felt his head bang into another solid surface and then...

darkness.

Xxxx

"Caeshe! Hilal!" Tzurael cried out before he finished the last grawl off with his longbow, slamming the weapon into its face before hearing the familiar 'snap' of its neck breaking from the impact, "Caeshe! Hilal!"

"Stop it! You might cause an avalanche!"

Instantly, Tzurael silence, watching as Guardian leaned against the mountainside, gasping for breath as his hands flexed around his weapons both of which, were smothered in crimson.

"We. Have to. Stay. Calm," Aoshiro heaved before he slid down the side of the ice covered mountain, causing Tzurael to rush towards the Guardian's side.

"Shiro, are you-" He stopped, seeing familiar crimson bleed down from the Guardian's side onto the snowy planks of the boardwalk.

Seeing the wide eyed look on the Ranger, the Guardian gave Tzurael a weak smile, "When Hilal teleported after your brother, I got distracted." He chuckled as he added, "A grawl decided to take the opportunity to attack." Aoshiro then coughed, "That lucky bastard found the crack in between my armor." He took in a shaky breath, "Didn't think...That there would be...that many."

"Save your breath, Shiro," Tzurael placed a hand onto the Guardian's shoulder, hearing Marsh come from behind and whimper, "The wound is deep but it didn't hit anything vital. If we move on maybe-"

"No, I can't leave Hilal here," The Guardian wheezed, "I-I promised to protect him. Since we were kids...ever since...I found him."

"Not like this you can't," Tzurael retorted when Aoshiro started coughing, "I am worried for my brother as well but I also can't leave you like this."

His grip tighten on the Guardian's plated shoulder, "Let's bring you to the Priory first then we'll send out a search party to look for Caeshe and Hilal."

Turning his pale azure eyes towards Tzurael, a weak chuckle escaped Aoshiro's lips, "Alright but I still have to lead the way, don't you forget that."

Nodding once, Tzurael turned his eyes towards the spot where Caeshe had fallen, his eyes full of worry before he whistled for Marsh and started helping the Guardian get back onto his feet.

* * *

**Now this is where I end here people C:  
Yes, my fight scenes still need work but they're harder to type than you think lol *especially when it comes to class attack accuracy u *  
Anyways, Enjoy C:**

~123arcalas


	7. Knowing You Better

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Knowing You Better**

**Xxxxx**

The first thing that Caeshe noticed when he opened his eyes was how dark the sky was before noticing small flakes of white floating down the sky. Groaning, Caeshe forced himself to sit upright, feeling the back of his head throb while his entire body felt sore.

What happened? he thought to himself as he rubbed the back of his head only to pull his fingers back and see the familiar color of crimson covering the tips.

"Great", he muttered before he shifted to stand...only for his hand to bump into something.

Blinking several times, Caeshe slowly turned his head to side only to quickly scoot away after seeing a human like figure lying next to him. It was only when he caught sight of white strands peeking from underneath the hood did he calmed down.

"Hilal?" He called out only to recieve no response.

Pondering for a moment, Caeshe suddenly remembered the sounds of shattering glass, only to realize the unbelievable.

"You saved me?" He gawked, staring at the still form of the Mesmer before he reached out a hand to his shoulder, "Are you-"

Caeshe released a cry when the Mesmer's hand suddenly snapped up and wrapped tightly around his wrist, causing the Thief to shake his hand back and forth before prying his hand away from Hilal's and scooting away.

Slowly, Hilal's hands moved onto the floor pushing himself up as he slowly wheezed, "Do not. Touch. Me."

With that, he rolled onto his back, coughing before he started gasping for breath, causing Caeshe to slowly edge his way towards the Mesmer.

"Stay where you are or do you want me to replicate what happened back in the battle pits?"

Caeshe froze, hesitation clear in his eyes, "But you are injured, I just wanted to-"

"Stop pretending to be nice to me!"

Jumping at the sudden raise in volume, Caeshe quickly pushed himself away from the human Mesmer, watching him as he rolled onto his side, coughing.

Staring hesitantly for a moment, Caeshe asked, "...Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright to you?" Hilal turned back on his back, turning his head to glare at the thief, "if you hadn't been such a klutz, I would not be this seriously injured."

This time, it was the Thief's turn to glare, "It is not my fault that you jumped in to save me. Which now brings up the question of why?"

Hilal turned his pale azure hues towards the dark sky, "That's none of your concern."

"Yes it is," Caeshe snapped, causing the Mesmer to turn his head and glare, "You almost killed me back in the battle pits, insulted my brother and I and then suddenly, you risked your life to save mine? Do you not think that it is a bit contradictory?"

"I have my reasons," Hilal hissed, "many of which I do not wish to share."

"You are impossible," Caeshe sighed in defeat, "Fine, let us just get out of here and find some shelter to spend the night." With this, the young Thief pushed himself onto his feet, glancing around before he spotted a path, "There, a clear path to find some shelter, I hope."

He then took several steps forward only to pause and turn around, seeing the Mesmer still lying upon the ground, "...Are you not going to get up?"

Hilal glared at the thief, "If I wanted to move, I would have done so by now."

"Then, why are you not standing?" Caeshe frowned, impatience clear in his eyes.

"When we were falling I took full brunt of the the collission into the rocks and mountain side," Hilal growled, "so unlike you, I was not left unscathed."

The young Thief stare at the human mesmer, his glowing violet eyes blinking several times before he responded, "So you cannot move?"

"Oh, is it that obvious?" Hilal said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, "it is alright though, both of my legs were broken in the fall, I can stand perfectly fine, thank you."

Caeshe stared in confusion, "...I do not understand, does broken bones mean that you cannot-"

"That was called sarcasm," Hilal just sighed, "it means that you are saying something that you do not actually mean."

When the Mesmer looked back into the sylvari's violet eyes, he gave him a blank stare, "You do not understand do you?"

Earning a shake of the head as a response, Hilal just placed a hand onto his face and sighed, "Never mind, just go ahead and find help."

"And leave you here immobile?" Caeshe shook his head as he took severl steps forward and knelt down besides the human Mesmer, "No, I will carry you, that way you won't be-

However as Caeshe attempted to scoop the small Mesmer into his arms, he suddenly felt something hit him in the stomach, causing to gasp as he slouch over and covered it with his arms. Hearing shifting movement in front of him, Caeshe lifted his eyes only to see Hilal point his staff at him as he struggled to scoot away, and to the surprise of the young Thief, fear was visible in the Mesmer's pale blue hues.

"What-what are you trying to do?" Hilal stammered as Caeshe rubbed his stomach whom gave him a blank stare in response.

"I was trying to carry you," Caeshe frowned, "if I leave you here, you might as well be killed by the Grawl or the cold even."

"I prefer that than to be carried," Hilal hissed, pink and violet vibrating around his hands, "just leave me here and find help."

"No," Caeshe stood up, standing firm, "though we not have an alliance with each other, that doens't mean I can abandon you, not like this anyways." The thief took several steps froward.

"Do nott touch me!" Hilal cried, causing the sylvari thief to pause, "Just-just-just..."

Then to Caeshe's surprise, tears formed in the Mesmer's eyes as he murmured, "Do not...Do not touch me."

"Hilal," His voice laced with concern, Caeshe added in, "Then what do you want me to do? I cannot leave you here alone, especially when you are injured."

Taking in a shaky breath, Hilal wiped away the forming tears with the back of his hand, "Do you want to get back at me for that incident in the Battle Pits?"

Confusion flashed in Caeshe's eyes, "How is that significant to the situation that we are in?"

"Do you want to or not?" Hilal's eyes narrowed in which the Thief sighed and replied, "Before this all happened, Yes, but now..."

"Then hit me."

Caeshe snapped his eyes toward's Hilal, "Say what?"

"Hit me as hard as you can," Hilal repeated, "Hard enough to knock me out."

"What?" Caeshe took several steps back, "why do you want that?"

"Knock me out so you can carry me," Hilal growled, "there is no way I am going to be conscious when someone else is in physical contact with me."

"Why not?" Caeshe asked.

In that instant, a look of dread and fear flash into the Mesmer's eyes, causing Caeshe to blink several times in response.

"Look, just knock me out now," Hilal took a deep breath, "and I will explain everything once we are safe."

"Everything?" Caeshe repeated, "the reasons of your actions? Why act the way you do?"

"My Life, my dreams, everything!" The human Mesmer hissed, "Now knock me out before I do it myself."

Staring at the young Mesmer, Caeshe release a sigh as he unsheathed his sword, flipping his around so that the force of contact would be the hilt instead of the blade, "You sure about this?"

When the Thief recieved a nod as a response, Caeshe hesitated before with one swift stroke, slammed the hilt of his sword into the Mesmer's head. Instantly, Hilal crumbled to the ground, unmoving.

"Hilal?" Caeshe's eyes widen as he knelt down and placed a hand onto Mesmer's shoulder, only to release a sigh of relief when he saw the human male's chest move up and down, a sign that he was still breathing.

"Still do not understand why I have to knock you out," Caeshe murmured as he scooped the small Mesmer into his arms and started his way down the snowy path.

Xxxxx

"We should be there anytime now," Aoshiro coughed before placing a hand onto his side, shifting his weight against Tzurael whom grunted in response.

"Do not take offense, Shiro but," The Ranger shifted himself so ensure that the Guardian's arm was secured around his shoulders, "you are quite heavy."

Aoshiro just chuckled in response, "That's what happens when you wear heavy armor."

"Then thank the Pale Tree that I am not wearing any," Tzurael shifted once again to ensure that Aoshiro was secure, "How much longer? I do not think I can-"

"We are here."

Coming to a pause, Tzurael's eyes squinted a bit, "I do not see anything."

The Guardian gave the young sylvari a smile, "I am the one that is wounded here and I can see it clearly. Try again and try not to squint so hard."

Glancing back at the Guardian with a confused look, Tzurael turned his black eyes back back towards the area and this time, saw stairs leaning aganst cobblestone walls.

"See it this time?" Aoshiro smiled when he earned a slow, single nod as a response, "Hello! Nabiha!? Khayru!?"

Almost immediately, a head popped over the edge of the wall, the only visible feature were dark azure strands gleaming faintly under the moonlight.

"Shiro?"

Sounds of footsteps could be heard coming down the steps and moments later, a fair skinned human male appeared at the bottom, his dark azure hair barely reaches past his chin, bangs brushed to the left to keep out of his dark blue eyes. He was adorned in black and blue heavy armor, the clanking audible as he approached the two, "I thought you said there were gonna be four of you." He then paused as he glanced behind them, seeing a crimson trail glint against the white snow glint under the moonlight, "You are bleeding. What happened?"

"No time," Aoshiro murmured as he slipped himself away from Tzurael's grasp, "Hilal and the fourth member of our group, Caeshe, they fell off the mountain side."

"What?" Nabiha's eyes widen, "When did that happen?"

"Several hours ago, near the boardwalk," Tzurael replied, concern flashing in his eyes, "could you send out a search party quickly? Who knows what is happening to them now?"

"I wish we could," The dark azure haired male sighed, "Sadly, we heard that a storm is coming. If we search now, the storm will catch us and more of us will be trapped in the mountains. We have to wait until it is over."

"But my brother is down there!" Tzurael cried, causing everyone present to jump, "your brother as well. We cannot leave them there by themselves! We have to-"

"Tzurael."

Turning his coal black eyes towards the Guardian, he saw Aoshiro give him a wary smile as he held his side, "Do you believe that your brother is strong?"

Hesitation clear in his eyes, Tzurael slowly nodded, "But he is-"

"Then he is strong enough to find shelter and survive," the white haired human interrupted, "and the same goes with Hilal. Both of them are strong enough to survive that fall and I trust that they will survive the storm until help can be sent out to find them."

The sylvari Ranger continued to stare at the human Guardian, fidgeting as Marsh stood by him, her small whimpers hear clearly in the silent atmopshere. "Alright then," Tzurael heaved out a sigh of defeat, "But the instant the storm clears up, I am going out there to find him."

"I am going to do the same for Hilal," Nabiha added in as he approached the wounded Guardian and placed his hands onto his shoulders, "but first, let us get Shiro some help." He then turned his dark azure eyes towards Tzurael, "and let us bring you inside before the storm sets in."

Glancing back towards the mountain, Tzurael hesitantly nodded, following the Priory member up the stairs as he helped Aoshiro along.

"Nabiha," The Guardian spoke, causing the dark azure haired human to turn his gaze towards him, "Where is Khayru? Are you two not Priory Partners?"

In response, Nabiha smiled, "She went out a few hours ago right before the Priory heard the news of the oncoming storm." He chuckled as he continued to help Aoshiro up the steps, "But I trust that she will be fine."

"You are not worried about her?" Tzurael asked as he followed behind, Marsh barking in agreement to his question.

"She is tough enough," Nabiha grinned, "especially since she is an old Sylvari."

"Sylvari?" The Sylvari Ranger asked, puzzled, "She is part of your family but she is sylvari?"

"Aaah, yeah," The Priory memory smiled sheepishly, "Well to Shiro and Hilal, to me however..."

"To you?"

"Uhm...Anyways, Khayru should be fine on her own," Nabiha blurted, a his face turning to a noticeable shade of red, "especially since she has Illusion with her."

"Illusion?" Tzurael repeated, in which, Aoshiro decided to answer.

"Illusion is Khayru's Fern Hound," the Guardian smiled at the thought, "he has been with her since the day she awakened which was exactly..." He paused, contemplation clear in his eyes before he turned his gaze towards Nabiha, "How many years back exactly?"

"Fifteen years," The azure hair human replied proudly, causing Tzurael to gawk, "he maybe old now but he still has plunty of spunk left in him to fight alongside her."

"Fifteen years?" Tzurael eyes went wide when the azure haired human nodded, "But that means she is also fifteen years of age as well."

"Khayru told me that sheis pretty old for Sylvari at the moment," Nabiha laughed, "But thanks to that, I am confident that she will be alright, even when the storm is coming." He then shifted himself as he continued to lead Aoshiro up the stairs "Anyways, let us get ready to close up the place, the storms gonna get bad as soon as it hits."

The Sylvari Ranger released a hesitant nod before he once more glanced back at the mountains, his eyes laced with concern.

Xxxxx

Caeshe grunted as he laid the unconscious Mesmer onto the icy floor, heaving out a sigh of relief as he collapsed onto the cave floor before turning around in time to see snow and wind howling at the entrance of the cave.

"After this is all over, I am never coming back here," Caeshe muttered as he started to brush the snow off of his coat, thanking the Pale Tree that he had taken Aoshiro's advice to wear thicker medium armor for the trip.

That's when he heard a groan beside him.

"Great timing to wake up," Caeshe commented as Hilal blinked several times before placing a hand onto the side of his face where he had been hit, "barely escaped the storm just now."

"Storm?" Hilal lifted his head towards the entrance of the cave only for his face to fall, "Oh great, more cold."

Caeshe nodded in agreement, "If we had wood, perhaps I could make a fire, however..." The Thief proceeded to shrug his shoulders, "guess we have to bare the cold for now."

Heaving out a frustrated sigh, Hilal attempted to roll onto his side only to wince and roll onto his back, earning himself a stare from the Sylvari Thief. The Mesmer noticed this.

"What?" Hilal frowned, "stop staring at me like that. It is unnerving when you sylvari stare at others, especially when you are glowing."

"I cannot help it, it is part of my biology," Caeshe gave the Mesmer a blank stare, "and in response to your question, is something wrong with your side? Every time you try to turn, an obvious expression of pain appears onto your features."

Hilal stayed quiet for a moment, his pale azure eyes staring at the icy ceiling before he sighed, "I may act tough but I am actually pretty fragile."

Caeshe blinked once, "Huh?"

The Mesmer turned his head and glared at the thief, "When we slammed into the side of the mountain, you slammed into me, breaking some of my ribs."

Blinking several times in confusion, Caeshe's eyes then slowly widened in realization, showing more of their violet hue, "Oh, my apologies, I did not mean-"

"Whatever," Hilal turned his eyes back towards the ceiling as he closed his eyes, leaving a still silence between the two.

A realization then hit Caeshe, "Are you not going to explain yourself?"

Hilal snapped his eyes open, turning his head towards the Sylvari Thief, "What?"

"You said that you were going to explain things as soon as we are safe," Caeshe repeated, "We are safe now so..."

It was Hilal's turn to blink, "You want me to explain it now?"

When the Mesmer recieved a nod as a response, he groaned, "Fine but you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone else of this." He then narrowed his eyes, "Even to your brother."

Tilting his head in slight curiousity, Caeshe nodded, "Agreed but why can I not tell anyone of this?"

Hilal just sighed, turning his pale azure hues back towards the icy ceiling, "No one else knows about this." He then closed eyes, "Everyone except Shiro."

"H'm? Not even Nabiha and Khayru?" Caeshe asked in which he recieved a nod as a response.

"I became a Mesmer for a reason," Hilal added in as the Sylvari thief listened quietly, "I wanted to hide, to hide from..." He paused, hesitating for a moment, "to hide from my family."

"Your family?" Caeshe blinked several times, "you mean the one that brought you into this world?"

Hilal nodded once again, "I was born to a family of nobles however, my father had an affair with my mother." He then released a short chuckle as he placed a hand onto his face, catching Caeshe off guard, "The instant I was born, fresh from the womb, my mother abandoned me in my father's care." The smile faded form Hilal's features, "I don't even know what my mother looks like." The Mesmer moved his hand away from his face, "My step-mother and my father did not like the fact that I was an illegitimate child born within a noble household. They thought of me as a shame to the family name." He release a strained smirk, "So they beat me around for it."

"They hit you!?" Caeshe interrupted, his eyes wide as he recieved a slow nod as a response, "Just for the reason that you are an..." He paused, "What does illegitimate mean?"

Instead of responding, Hilal attempted to push himself into a sitting position, only to grunt in pain before collapsing back onto his back. He then sighed, "It means that you are a child born outside of marriage."

Caeshe gave the human mesmer a blank stare, "So they hit you...all because you were child that was not born from marriage?"

"Sums it up," Hilal attempted to roll onto his side only to release a frustrated growl when he earned a sharp pain, causing him to roll onto his back once more. The Sylvari thief noticed his discomfort.

"Do you some help?" Caeshe asked, "or perhaps a moment to rest?"

"Stop pretending that you care," Hilal muttered, earning himself a confused look from the thief.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Caeshe asked, "I have been sincere in my attempts to help you but you always push me away. Why is that?"

Hilal stayed silent for a moment, keeping his pale azure eyes up towrds the ceiling before he replied, "That is none of your concern."

The Sylvari thief heaved out a sigh of frustration, "If you were a sylvari, you will definately be in the Cycle of Night."

The Human Mesmer turned his head towards Caeshe, "What does that have to do with this?"

"You are very secretive and self-contained," Caeshe blurted, earning himself a glare from Hilal, "which is exactly what a Night Sylvari is."

"Sorry to prove you wrong but I am not a sylvari," the Mesmer hissed, "stop comparing me to your race. It is annoying."

Caeshe's eyes narrows, "It is annoying when you withold information that I should know about."

"I do not have to tell you everything," Hilal gritted his teeth, "if I can move I will-"

He paused, his eyes blinking several times as his hands flexed, causing Caeshe to stare.

"What is wrong?" the Sylvari Thief asked.

Hilal said nothing but instead, his face started to turn a shade of bright red, surprising Caeshe, "What?"

"Iamstuckontheice."

"Huh?" The sylvari thief leaned in, eyes confused, "you spoke too quickly."

"...I am stuck on the ice."

Caeshe blinked, "Eh?"

His face still red, Hilal attempted to pull his arm up, only for the sleeve to stuck fast onto the icy floor.

Caeshe stared for several seconds, his eyes blinking several times before he quickly looked away, his hand covering his mouth as his shoulders shook.

"Are you laughing at me?" The Mesmer growled in which Caeshe shook his head however, did not turn to look at the white haired human.

"You are laughing at me!" Hilal attempted to push himself up only to growl when his clothes stuck to the icy floor, "It is not funny!"

"I know it is not funny," A noticable strain in the Sylvari's voice reached the Mesmer's ears, "It. Is. Hilarious."

Glaring at the sylvari whom laughed quietly, Hilal added, "Help me up."

"Not until you tell me the rest of your story," Caeshe coughed several times, slowly regaining his composure before turning his glowing violet eyes towards the human Mesmer, "then I will help you."

"Oh for the love of-" Hilal released a frustrated sigh, causing Caeshe to tilt his head to one side, waiting for an answer, "alright, what else do you want to know?"

"I want to know enough to answer my questions," The Sylvari Thief replied, earning a frown as a response, "but I guess I will start out with is why you are so frightened of physical contact? Is it not normal for a human to make contact with a comrade?"

"Not when they hit you everyday," Hilal immediately responded, earning a confused look from the Sylvari, "My Father, my Step-Mother, even my step-brother had done nothing for me except harm. As such, everytime I come into physical contact with someone..." He stopped, his eyes turning away from Caeshe as he sighed, "it brings back memories of those horrid times with my family."

Caeshe blinked several times, his eyes glazed over with guilt as he spoke, "My apologies, I did not mean-"

"Can you stop with the apologizing?" Hilal turned his gaze back towards Caeshe as he frowned, "it is annoying. And also..." He tugged at his sleeves, "help me up."

The Sylvari thief gave him a confused look, "I thought you said-"

"That's only when I am not notified of the contact," Hilal snapped, "now stop dawdling and help me, it is getting cold."

Releasing a sheepish smile behing his mask, Caeshe carefully scooted his way towards the Human Mesmer, ensuring that he himself wasn't stuck before carefully started to peel away the light armor off the floor.

That's when an audible "Riiip" echoed through the cave.

"...Did you just...?" Hilal tried to glance over at his arm, only for the Sylari thief to cover it.

"I-I can fix this," Caeshe stuttered as he glanced around frantically before reluctantly, he lifted the Mesmer's arm, only for it to lift out of the sleeve of his Light armor.

"You did!" Hilal cried as Caeshe's face turned a shade darker, "and I thought you could not be any clumsier."

"It-it was stuck fast to the floor," The Sylvari thief retorted as he placed Hilal's arm back into the ruined sleeve before shifting towards the shoulders, "I could not get you out otherwise."

"I would not have minded if we were in another area," Hilal hissed as he heard small tearing sounds emit from his shoulder area, "but we are in Lornar's Pass where clothes are needed to stay warm." Another audible "Riiip" echoed through the cave as the Mesmer added, "and tearing it apart is not going to keep me warm!"

"Then what else am I suppoes to do? Let you stay stuck onto the cave floor like a trapped fly on a web?" Caeshe frowned as he released his grip on the tattered remains of Hilal's shoulder armor, "or at least sit up and be comfortable so that we can find a way to help you stay warm?"

Staring up at the Sylvari Thief, Hilal released a frustrated sigh before moving his free hand onto his face, silent for a moment before he muttered, "Fine then, get to it."

The edges of his lips twitching upward, Caeshe worked on Hilal's trapped arm, letting out another 'Riiiiip' from the light armor, causing the Mesmer to flinch.

"Do you have to be so rough about it?" Hilal asked as he felt Caeshe tear off another part of his armor, in which Sylvari Thief responded, "It is harder than it looks to separate the floor and your clothes without causing any damage."

Another tearing sound echoed through the cave, causing Hilal to just heave out a sigh of defeat before he felt Caeshe put him into a sitting position, "Thanks."

As he pulled what remained of his armor over his shoulders, the human mesmer turned his pale azure eyes towards Caeshe only to blink when the Sylvari had given him a wide eyed stare, "What?"

The Sylvari thief blinked once, the glow in his violet eyes flickering from the action before he responded, "Take no offense but I never really saw you as the type to hand out your thanks to anyone."

"How very blunt of you," Hilal rolled his eyes as he slowly dragged himself towards one of the walls, leaning his back against before he flinched as a sharp pain struck his side,causing Hilal to place a hand over it in response.

"We need to get you some help soon however..," Caeshe sighed before turning his glowing violet eyes towards the cave entrance, "I wonder how much longer the storm is going to last."

"Knowing this place, might be a while," Hilal grunted as he closed his eyes, "in other worlds help will not come until it clears."

The Sylvari thief turned his gaze towards Hilal, "Then may I ask a question?"

Popping open one eye, the human mesmer stared for a moment before he sighed, "Depends if I want to answer it or not."

"It has to do with our fight in the battle pits," Caeshe added, earning himself a frown from the Human Mesmer, "you are young however you fought like those that have been in war years back. How do you fight so well?"

Hilal's eyes focused on Caeshe, "I ran away from home when I was only six. It was not until two years later when I met Shiro." He release a small 'hmph' before he closed his eyes and added, "A lot can happen in two years."

The sylvari thief tilted his head to one side, "Such as what?"

"You sylvari ask too many questions," Hilal snapped, his eyes opening to glare at the Night Bloom, "can you guys not be so bothersome even for a second?"

"Hilal?"

Both eyes turned towards the entrance of the cave, only to see a hooded figure cladded in gold and honey coats walking towards them, another figure of what Caeshe recognizes as a fern hound next to it. The two men would have taken the figure as a threat and would have unsheathed their weapons if it wasn't for the fact that teal colored eyes glowed behind the hood, its features illuminated by a honey light. In other words, it was a sylvari, a female one by the tone of her voice.

"Khayru?"

Caeshe snapped his head towards the human mesmer, watching as Hilal blinked several times and added, "What are you doing here? I thought you were at the Priory?"

"I was," Khayru released a sheepish smile, revealing more of her birch colored features, "until I couldn't handle waiting anymore." She brushed some snow off of her shoulders before pulling down her hood, revealing her golden colored petals which seems to glide down the right side of her face, the large layered petals glowing a honey color as she blinked several times, her glowing teal eyes flickering in response, "What happened to your clothes, Hilal? It is freezing out here and you are wearing nothing but-" She paused, her eyes blinking several times in realization before a smile faded onto her features, "You got stuck again?"

Caeshe gave the golden colored sylvari a bewildered look, "How did you-" As he turned his glowing violet eyes towards Hilal, he was surprise to find the Mesmer's face turn a light shade of red.

Seeing his face, Khayru laughed in response, "I told you to bring in heavier armor. Otherwise it is going to stick onto the ice."

"Any heavier than this and I cannot fight in a battle," Hilal muttered, his pale azure eyes narrowing at the female sylvari.

"Yes but getting stuck in a middle of a battle is not good either," Khayru giggled as she lowered her pack onto the icy floor, opening it before rummaging inside. Moments later, she pulled out a hide blanket, tossing it towards the human Mesmer whom was immediately engulfed by the large sheet, "I have an extra in case you were wondering Hilal, your friend here and I can share the other one." She gave Caeshe a gentle smile whom just blinked in response, "The name is Khayru of the Cycle of Dawn, what is yours?"

"Caeshe of the Cycle of Night," The Sylvari thief responded immediately.

Instantly, Khayru's eyes beamed, "A Night Bloom?" Then before Caeshe knew it, the golden sylvari was almost face to face to him, causing the sylvari thief to shift uncomfortably as Khayru added, "In all my years after my awakening, I hardly ever met Night Blooms and even when I did, they hardly like to chatter."

She then backed away, much to Caeshe's relief, "Illusion, come here, there is a Night Bloom here, just like you."

Staring at the Dawn Bloom, Caeshe's eyes turned to where her eyes were and he blinked when he realized that the Fern Hound that he had seen earlier had been lying in the shadows, completely hiding any detailed features as it laid there.

The Fern Hound released a low rumbling sound, almost as if to say that it had just gotten comfortable before lazily pushing itself onto its feet and made its way towards the group. When the Fern Hound got close enough to see physical details, Caeshe couldn't help but release a small gasp.

Illusion was heavily scarred, white bark having healed over old wounds. Having heard Caeshe gasp, Illusion turned its gaze towards the sylvari thief, only to reveal a scar running over its closed eye, a sign that it cannot see through that side.

Khayru gave Caeshe a sad smile before wrapping her arms around the large Fern Hound's, whom responsed by lying down next to her in content, "I was very clumsy back in my younger years." She brushed her fingers through Illusion's scarred leaves, whom released a small purring sound in response, "and Illusion had to pay for all of that."

"O-oh, I am sorry to hear that," Caeshe stuttered, turning his violet eyes away from the Fern Hound and turning his gaze towards Khayru, "So I am guessing that you have been awakened for a while then?"

"Oh a lot longer than a while," Khayru giggled, causing Caeshe to stare, "In about a month, I am going to celebrate my sixteenth birthday."

This caused the Sylvari Thief to gawk, "S-Sixteen? As in years?"

Giving Caeshe a gentle smile, Khayru nodded as she continued to brush her fingers through her Fern Hound's hide, "I know it is many years for our kind however, I am glad that I am of that age otherwise..." She giggled, "he would find it very awkward to love someone that is of many younger years than he."

"You are in relationship?" Caeshe asked in which Khayru nodded.

"He is part of our 'family', if you understand," The female Ranger added in which Caeshe nodded his head in response, "Nabiha is his name, we met several years back." She laughed as she added, "It was very amusing to know that the child I had met back in the Grove is the same man that I love now."

"Which I consider very awkward and still do not understand the fact how you two can be in a relationship now."

Khayru just giggled as she turned her glowing teal eyes towards the Human Mesmer whom wrapped the blanket tighter around his body, "Come over here Hilal, it must be lonely over there being in that corner all by your small, tiny lonesome."

"Even if I could, I would not," Hilal hissed, "I know you quite well enough, Khayru, and I know that once I get over there, you are going to get all 'physical' on me."

"It is called a 'hug', Hilal," The female ranger laughed, "I thought it was common for humans to greet their loved ones with hugs, or in Nabiha and I's case, a kiss."

"Common, but not everyone does it," The Human Mesmer wrapped his covers tighter around him.

"He also has another reason that he does not want to move," Khayru turned her eyes back towards Caeshe,"The reason why Hilal and I are here is that we have fallen off the mountain side. During the fall, Hilal had broken his legs and his side. We were hoping to reach the Priory to gain some help however..." he sighed as he added, "The storm had stopped us in our tracks."

Returning his gaze back into Khayru's teal colored eyes, Caeshe was slightly surprised to see the Dawn Bloom's eyes had shifted to concern, her gaze returning back towards Hilal.

"You are injured, Hilal?" She asked in which Hilal pulled his covers tighter around his body.

"I am fine," He muttered, "it does not hurt a bit. Not a bit."

"Oh you stubborn Mesmer you," Khayru frowned before she glanced around before spying a piece of small ice lying not too far from her and scooped it up in her hands.

Caeshe saw this action, "What are you-"

Then to his shock, Khayru tossed the ice at Hilal whom merely leaned his head to one side, letting the small pack of ice hit harmless against the wall behind him.

"If you want to hit me, go ahead" Hilal growled, his eyes turning dark, "but remember that I always fight back."

"I do not know what had happened to you back then Hilal but you have to let it go sooner or later," Khayru snapped, "the past is the past, you cannot let it affect you now."

"If you knew what had happened to me in my youngers years! Then you would understand!" Hilal roared, fury clear in his pale azure eyes, "Now leave me alone!"

Before Khayru can say anymore, the human Mesmer had pulled the covers completely over his face, hiding him from view.

"Oooooh, humans can be stubborn sometimes," Khayru huffed, earning herself a look from the Sylvari thief, "only if he would tell me what had happened then I would understand even better as to why he acts that way."

"So you really do not know?" Caeshe asked, his eyes slightly wide in surprise.

Almost immediately, Khayru blinked several times, turning her teal colored eyes towards the Sylvari Thief, "You mean he told you?"

"Uh. Erm...Yes," Caeshe replied hesitantly, "but it was mostly because of the siutation we were in, not it is because he trusts me."

Hearing his response, the female ranger's eyes fell, "Then that means he told you not to tell anyone, did he not?"

When Caeshe nodded, Khayr released a disappointed response, "He said the same thing to Shiro as well and as such, the only person that Nabiha and I can really ask is Hilal himself however..." She turned his glowing teal eyes towards human mesmer, "He always brushes it off and everytime we try to coax it out of him, he gets suddenly angry and tells us to mind our own." Then she shrugged before she released a smile, "but I know for sure that he will tell Nabiha and I sooner or later, it just takes time I guess."

She then went back to her bag and started rummaging through it, causing Caeshe to blink several times only for his eyes to wide when she pulled out several pieces of logs from her pack, "It doesn't hurt to be prepared." Khayru grinned at the Sylvari Thief, "Want to help me start a fire?"

Xxxxx

Tzurael couldn't help but be slightly amused as a tiny asura with short dark hair and gray skin started yelling some long words at the human guardian that the Sylvari Ranger couldn't understand. It wasn't until the end when he finally understood the gist of what was going on.

"How dare you come back here after you stole our blue prints!" the asura roared, causing the Guardian to smile innocently as he spoke, "I must apologize Gixx, but, what are you talking about?"

"Oh you know exactly what I am talking about," Gixx frowned, "the blue prints. The blue prints that you mongrols have stolen right out of my office!"

"Gixx, I am quite serious when I say that I do not understand what you are talking about," The innocent smile was still on Aoshiro's pale features, "perhaps you have mistaken it for somebody else?"

"Oh no! You are not going to escape from me this time," The Priory Leader crossed his arms, "I know for sure that it was you. The hair. the eyes. even the armor that you are wearing now is the same!"

"Steward, please," Nabiha shifted uncomfortably, his grip tightening around his brother's arm, "he is injured and in need of assistance. Can you handle this another time?"

The frown still visible on his features, Gixx turned his golden eyes at Aoshiro and glared, "I will let you go this time, but as soon as you are well, you 'will' find me there and I will make sure that I'll expose you as the thief you are."

With that, the asura Steward turned and left, causing Nabiha to release a sigh of relief before turning his dark azure eyes towards Aoshiro, "Shiro, did you really...?"

"That, Nabiha, is confidential," Aoshiro gently smiled, somehow causing Tzurael to think that he knew the answer to the question.

Giving his brother a blank stare, Nabiha said nothing else but instead started to lead his brother towards the infirmary and moments later, Aoshiro was seated on one of the beds, Nabiha having left to find a healer.

Ensuring that he and Aoshiro were alone, Tzurael turned his black eyes towards Guardian, "It seems that the Order of Whispers like to work in secret."

Aoshiro just chuckled, "It is our preferred way of functioning." He then turned his pale azure eyes at the bed, using his fingers to draw invisible figures into the sheets, "Been in the Order for a while now, almost two years since I have joined."

"Two years?" Tzurael asked, puzzled, "is that all? You seem to have a lot more experience than that of a person who had been in an Order for only two years."

Aoshiro smiled in response, "The reason is that before I joined the Order of Whispers, I ran away from my home and lived out in the streets." He then shrugged, "I ran away before I even hit my coming of age." The human guardian turned his attention back to drawing imaginary figures onto the sheets, "I do not mind though, my household was a bit..." He hesitated, "violent towards me."

"Violent?" Tzurael asked, hearing Marsh bark beside him in agreement, "what do you mean violent?"

Lifting his gaze towards the Sylvari Ranger, Aoshiro released a sheepish smile before returning back to drawing pictures onto the sheets.

"Shiro," Tzurael paused, contemplating before he asked, "Did they hit you?"

"Everyday," Aoshiro nodded, lifting his pale azure eyes as he released a gentle smile, "all because I am a bastard child."

Tzurael blinked several times, "Bastard...child?"

"A child that is a result between a female and male partner that is not of marriage," the Human Guardian replied, "amongst the nobles, that is a shame to the family name." He released an empty laugh, "Something that my step-mother likes to remind me of every day back when I was a child."

Glancing around, the Sylvari Ranger pulled up a chair, sitting on it so that the head of the chair was in front of him so his arms can have a resting place, "What happened to your real mother? And your father?"

Aoshiro just shrugged in response, "My mother was the one who left me with my father however, I was told she was a Priestess of one of the Six gods. Which one? I do not know." He shook his head, "my father was there but he was not a part of my life. He neglected me, actually agreed with my step-mother to abandon me at a harsh boarding school to make me a 'true' noble." Aoshiro went back to drawing pictures on the bed sheets, "he tried contacting me since I ran away but I always end up ripping up the letters." Once again, the human Guardian shook his head, "After he had abandoned me, I pulled myself away from my family except for..." He hesitated, "except for my mother. My real mother."

Tzurael placed his head against his arms, "You want to find her?"

Aoshiro nodded, "It was my dream since I was a child." He released a sheepish smile as he turned his pale azure eyes back towards the Sylvari, "I was told that she was 'forced' to abandon me, that she had not done it willingly, mainly becuase of her duties as a Priestess." Aoshiro turned his eyes back to the sheets, using his fingers to draw pictures once more, "I am hoping that it is true and one day, to meet her face to face."

"Sounds like a wonderful dream," Tzurael added as he lifted his head, "I hope that you will find your mother soon."

The human Guardian lifted his gaze toward the Sylvari Ranger, releasing a sheepish smile, "Thank you."

With that, he returned back to drawing his pictures and moments later, Nabiha returned with a healer at his heel.

* * *

**...I feel like this chapter is focusing more on the other characters instead of Caeshe and Tzurael .-.**

**Oh well, the other characters are gonna make a lot of appearances in this story anyways so I guess it's alright so that you guys can know them a bit better...I guess _ **

**Anyways, I can't think up of a better title for this chapter so...uh...yeah .-.**

**Also, expanding contractions really make a difference in accents o-o**

**makes it more gw2 talk than modern lol**

**Enjoy C:**

**~123arcalas**


	8. Interpretation

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**Interpretation**

**Xxxxx**

"Come now, let me take first watch," Khayru insisted, the glow in her teal eyes have diminished a bit thanks to the fire that she and Caeshe had manage to bring to life, giving warmth to the inhabitants of the cave, "you have traveled far just to help your brother accomplish his dream and you deserve a well earned rest."

The storm still roared outside the mouth of the cave, signaling to the group that their stay there was going to take a lot longer than they had anticpated as such, one person to stay awake for a certain amount of hours was needed to ensure that no monster, grawl, or dredge wonder into their shelter. Hilal had fallen asleep minutes earlier, mainly because he knew that first watch was not gonna be placed onto his shoulders. The decision was to be placed between Khayru and Caeshe however, the two sylvari were trying to convince the other that they are capable of first watch.

"No, No, I insist," Caeshe retorted, "I am fully capable of staying awake, I am a Night Bloom after all."

Khayru frowned at this, "Yes however, every sylvari needs sleep and that includes you as well, Caeshe. I worry that lack of sleep is going to affect your health. I'll take first watch, I had plenty of rest before this storm came in, I am more qualified for the task."

"I am not tired at all," Caeshe added in, "I feel plenty awake and I highly doubt that I'll get any sleep this night. Let me take first watch."

"Come now Caeshe, you are still young," Khayru crossed her arms, the frown still visible on her features, "enjoy your life while you can, time goes by too fast." She shook her head, "and to enjoy the wonders of life, sleep is needed and sleep is something I have plenty of and that you lack, Caeshe."

The Sylvari Thief stared at the Sylvari Ranger, their eyes reading each other before Caeshe heaved out a sigh of defeat, "Alright then, you'll take first watch."

Khayru smiled at this, "Do not worry, I'll wake you when it is your shift, Caeshe, but for now." She turned and rummaged through her back, pulling out another hide blanket and tossing it towards the Sylvari Thief, "get some rest and I'll make sure that no threats enter this cave."

Smiling at the Sylvari ranger from behind his mask, Caeshe shifted the blanket around until he could lie down and pull the covers over him, ensuring that none of his body touched the ice. Giving Khayru a quick hesitant look, the Sylvari Thief closed his eyes and went into slumber.

Xxxxx

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"

Slowly opening his violet eyes, Caeshe once again found himself in darkness, something that he had grown quite accustomed to every time he falls into his dream. However, he couldn't help but blink. Instead of many voices, he only heard only one, one full of genuine concern.

"So you had that problem too? Do not worry, I have a solution to it."

Hearing the voice once more, Caeshe's violet eyes glanced around desperately in the darkness, struggling to find the source.

The voice was masculine and the accent he instantly recognized as one of his race, he was certain of it. But where was it coming from?

"Do not pity me, I have felt free ever since. Perhaps you would feel the same."

The voice was bouncing off the darkness surrounding the Sylvari Thief, causing him to turn frustrated as he narrowed his eyes into the darkness, walking around to find the owner of the voice. He could feel it, his dream was so close, if he could only-

"There you are, Dreamer."

Instantly, Caeshe's blood turned cold as he froze in place. He remembers that voice, he'll never forget it.

He turned around, his violet eyes gazing into silver hues, "Never thought that the Nightmare Court was still connected to the Dream, especially you, Wren."

"Of course we are," The Knight released a smirk, "how else do you think we know how much progress we have in corrupting it?"

"What are you doing here anyways?" Caeshe frowned, "this is my dream and you have no right to interfere."

Wren just released an amused laugh as he looked around, "This? This is your dream?" He turned his silver eyes back towards the young sylvari, the smirk still visible on his features, "all it is darkness. A dream suitable to join the Nightmare Court, do you not agree?"

"Like I have told you before, I will never fall into Nightmare," Caeshe growled, his hands reaching towards his weapons around his waist, "and neither will my brother."

"Aaaah but if one of you fall into Nightmare, then the other shall soon follow," A sadistic glint can be seen in Wren's eyes, "that is what happened to me after all."

"Ansgar joined the court first?" Caeshe asked in which Wren smiled, "and you followed soon after?"

"I was just like you, against the teachings of the court," Wren chuckled, "but after Ansgar joined, I felt his mind sink into Nightmare and it was only then I understood why they want to bring Nightmare into the Dream." He gave Caeshe a smug smile, "We Sylvari are chained, controled, and corrupted by Ventari's Tablet. It is holding us back from being true sylvari."

"We already are 'true' sylvari," Caeshe retorted, earning himself a frown from the Knight, "Ventari's teachings is what guides us, without it, we are a lost race." Narrowing his violet eyes, Caeshe added, "it is not Ventari's Tablet that is corrupted. The only thing I see corrupted is you, a member of the Nightmare Court."

"We are plenty strong to stand on our own feet without Ventari's Tablet!" Wren roared, causing the Sylvari Thief to jump, "It is the Tablet that is corrupted! Not the Court!"

With that, Wren unsheathed his sword, causing Caeshe to reflexively step back and unsheathe his dual pistols, pointing them straight at the Knight. Wren just laughed in response.

"You think you can hit me with those pathetic weapons?" Wren smiled, "I have plenty of experience on how to avoid-"

He didn't get a chance to finish, having to roll to the side to dodge a barrage of bullets that Caeshe had let loose upon the Sylvari. Rolling back onto his feet, Wren released a wide grin as he yelled, "Left yourself wide open, Sapling!"

Caeshe then felt a fist slam into his abdomen, causing him to gasp and collapse onto his knees. Hearing running footsteps fast approaching, Caeshe lifted his head only to feel it snap back, having not seen the kick in time to dodge. The force was enough to send him flying onto his back, causing him to groan as he heard footsteps approach. He then felt weight upon his chest and a hand being wrapped around his neck.

"So inexperienced, so young," Wren mocked as he smirked, "you will never catch up to sixteen years of experience."

Caeshe stared at him with his violet eyes as he choked, "You...You are sixteen as well?"

"As well?" Wren repeated, a frown flashing onto his features, "you have met another sylvari that is of the same age? There is not many-" He paused, his golden eyes widening before his hand tighten around Caeshe's neck, "Did you meet her?"

"W-What?" Caeshe choked out, only to release a strangled gasp as he felt Wren's hand tighten around his neck.

"Did you meet her!?" Wren roared, "Did you meet Khayru!?"

"How-How do you-" Caeshe paused, stopping himself.

If he knew Khayru, then most likely the Sylvari Ranger would be in danger if he reveals any information. As such, Caeshe shook his head. This spiked Wren's fury.

"Do not lie to me!" Wren brandished his sword, placing it on the side of Caeshe's neck, "I could tell in your eyes! You have met her! Where is she!?"

"If I knew, I would 'never' tell you," Caeshe gasped out.

His body shaking with fury, Wren lifted his blade, his intention clear in his eyes as he brought his sword down.

Xxxxx

Tzurael snapped his eyes open, sitting up abruptly in his bed, his black eyes wide open as they searced his room, seeing only the shelves and desks occupying the gray-azure room.

"Caeshe?" he called out before he shook his head and placed a hand onto his face.

The Sylvari Ranger had fallen asleep hours earlier after he was shown his room however, a spike of fear and panic awakened the Night Bloom, awakening him from his Dream of sleeping in his mother's bough. He knew that it was his twin's fear that he had sensed.

"Marsh?" he called out, hearing his Fern Hound shift on his bed near his feet, "you awake?"

A small 'huff' can be heard from the female Fern Hound before she yawned and laid her head back onto her front paws, earning herself a sheepish smile from the Ranger.

"My apologies, you may go back to sleep if you want."

Tzurael then slid out of bed, causing Marsh to lift her head and release a small whine, causing the Sylvari Ranger to turn and brush his fingers through her leaf-like hide, "Do not worry, I am just going to take a small walk around."

Releasing a small 'huff' Marsh stood up and shook herself, her leaves rattling in response before she lept down from the bed, coming to a slow halt next to her Master.

Giving her a sheepish smile in response, Tzurael picked up his coat hanging from a hanger just nearby and slipped it on before exiting his room with Marsh close at his heel. Coming into a hallway, Tzurael glanced both ends before picking the left, his black eyes scanning the decorated walls of the Priory walls before turning his eyes back towards in front of him only to pause. In the middle of the hall standing not too far from Tzurael was Aoshiro, dressed in thin cloths, his head tilted upwards towards one of the open windows of the Priory, his eyes closed with his lips silently moving.

"Shiro?" Tzurael called out, his voice bouncing off the walls of the Priory.

Hearing his name being called, Aoshiro opened his eyes and turned his gaze towards the Sylvari ranger before blinking once and releasing a sheepish smile, "Tzurael, you are up late."

"I should say the same for you," Tzurael approached the Guardian before coming to a slow halt in front of him, "how is your injury doing?"

Giving the Ranger another sheepish smile, Aoshiro lifted his shirt slightly, just enough to show the bandages underneath, "So far, it has been fine though the medicene they gave me to relief the pain are not working as well as they thought."

Tzurael blinked, "So you are in pain?"

"In a way," Aoshiro nodded as he let his shirt fall from his hand, "though I am not unfamiliar with pain. Just took me a small moment to get use to." He rolled his shoulders a bit, "Decided to walk around in hopes luring me back to sleep."

Tzurael turned his black eyes towards the window, only to see large flakes of snow drifting through the dark background, "The storm is not yet over?"

"It has calmed a bit but, yes," Aoshiro just sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I could not help but worry for our brothers. The storm has lasted much longer than the Priory Members had predicted."

Tzurael turned his gaze towards the Guardian, "How much longer?"

"Do not worry, it should end by tonight," Aoshiro released a sheepish smile, "I hope."

Heaving out a sigh, Tzurael shifted uncomfortably for a moment, turning his black eyes towards Marsh whom had made herself comfortable by lying next to her Master's feet, her head in her front paws.

"If you do not mind me asking, what were you doing earlier?" Tzurael asked, earning himself a puzzled look from the white haired human, "Your eyes were closed and your lips were moving but no words were coming out."

Blinking several times, Aoshiro's pale azure eyes widen as he released a small 'Aaaah' before a gentle smile faded onto his features, "I was praying to the Six Gods for the safety of our brothers." He chuckled as he added, "I am not sure if they will answer but it helps give me some closure when I pray."

"Six...Gods?" Tzurael repeated, earning himself another gentle smile from the Human Guardian.

"I almost forgotten that you are still young to the world," Aoshiro released a short and quiet laugh, "the Six Gods is are six beings that my race worships. There is Dwayna, goddess of healing, air, warmth and life, Balthazar, god of war, fire, and courage, Melandru, goddess of nature, earth, and growth, Lyssa, two goddesses of beauty, water and illusion. Grenth, god of darkness, death, and ice, and finally, Kormir, goddess of order, spirit, and truth."

Processing the new information that he just gained, Tzrurael lifted is gaze upwards, contemplating before he returned his gaze back towars Aoshiro, "Should there be Seven Gods, not Six."

Aoshiro gave him a confused look, "Seven?" He thought for a moment before he smiled in realization, "Aaah, you mean the twins?"

When he recieved a nod as a response, Aoshiro added, "Lyssa, also known as the twins IIya and Lyss, are seen as one entity, often depicted being intertwined." He then shrugged, "I do not know much about them so the reasoning of why IIya and Lyss are worshiped as one entity eludes me."

Blinking several times, Tzurael rubbed the back of his neck before he said, "I do not understand the religion of humans at all. Have you ever seen the gods before?"

"Uhh," Aoshiro thought for a moment before shaking his head, "it has been said that if we gaze upon the gods, we instill blindess into ourselves." He smiled, "Though it would be nice to even get a glance of the gods, it is a risk that I am not willing to take."

Staring at the Guardian, the Sylvari Ranger shook his head, "Your faith does not make any sense to me."

Aoshiro just laughed, "I have a feeling you were going to say something like that." He then turned his pale azure eyes towards one of the open windows, "I guess religion is not for all races."

Giving the human Guardian another confused look, Tzurael decided to shrug it off. Even if he had asked more questions, the Sylvari ranger knew that he'll never comprehend the concepts of religion.

As such, he decided to change the subject, "If you do not mind me asking, how did you meet Khayru and Nabiha?"

No sooner had the question left his lips when Aoshiro turned his gaze towards the Sylvari Ranger and Tzurael thought he saw a flash of grief and guilt glaze over the human Guardian's eyes however, when he looked again, his eyes glinted the same kindness as before, his gentle smile still on his pale features.

"That story...is for another time," Aoshiro replied, recieving a disappointed look from the Sylvari Ranger, "however, if you really want to know the story, you have to ask either Nabiha, Khayru, or Hilal."

"I prefer if it was you," Tzurael blurted, causing the human Guardian to chuckle as he added, "Oh, and why is that?"

Tzurael pondered for a moment, his features scrunching together in deep thought before he replied, "I do now know why but your presence, the aura around you is serene and calm to the point where it can be considered holy. I have never felt anything like it before, even within the Dream." He then turned his gaze towards Aoshiro, "I thought at first maybe it was because you were a kind person but when I met Nabiha, I did not sense the same presence from him, not even close." Tzurael paused for a second, almost like as though he was waiting for a response from Aoshiro. When he recieved a single nod in a motion to continue, Tzurael added, "How is your aura so different from the others?"

Almost intantly, Tzurael saw the Human Guardian flinch, almost like as though something sharp had hit his side, before he released a strained smile, "Th-that is also another story to be told at a different time." Hesitation can be seen in his eyes before he added, "But if you do not mind, please do not ask that again."

The Sylvari Ranger blinked several times, "If it makes you uncomfortable, I will not ask it in the future, but may I ask the question as to why?"

Hesitation still clear in his eyes, Aoshiro released a wary smile, "All I can say is this, when I discovered the reason, I never saw myself the same again."

Tzurael gave him a puzzled look, "Is it something bad?"

"I...I am...uncertain," The Human Guardian admitted as he shook his head, "it will not matter in the end." He released another wary smile as he added, "It was a life-changing experience all the same." With that, Aoshiro turned his pale azure eyes towards the window, watching the heavy flakes fall through the night sky.

In response, Tzurael turned his black eyes towards the window as well, wondering about the so called 'secret' that the human Guardian was trying to hide. The Sylvari really wanted to ask again, probe him again and again with questions until he finally answers. But, Tzurael decided not to. The reason was how the atomosphere around Aoshiro had suddenly changed, changing from the warm aura to one that was almost dark, practically sending a chill down the Sylvari Ranger's spine. It was enough to help him rethink his decision to ask questions. As such, for now, he was content in just watching the snow fall with the human Guardian standing beside him.

Xxxxx

"Caeshe!"

His violet eyes snapping open, Caeshe took in a deep breath before coughing, gasping as his gaze turned towards Khayru's concern expression.

"You were suffering from a Nightmare," She said as she helped the Night Bloom into a sitting position, handing him a canteen which he hesitantly accepted, "you were screaming and calling out before your breath was suddenly cut off. I had to awaken you to ensure that you were able to take in breath again." Khayru hesitated as she watched Caeshe lower his mask and taking sips from the canteen, "Caeshe, what were you Dreaming about?"

Pausing for a moment, Caeshe looked up slightly, pondering before he turned and asked, "Khayru, do you know of a Sylvari named Wren?"

Almost immediately, Khayru's eyes widen, "Wren? Where did you get that name?"

"He appeared to me in my Dream," Caeshe repeated in which the Sylvari Ranger gave him another concerned look, "he seemed really intent on where you were, almost like as though he knew you." He paused, "Do you know him?"

Giving the Night Bloom a nervous look she sighed as she nodded,"We both awakened on the same day however, during different cycles." She released a nervous smile as she added, "Like you, he was a Night Bloom but he was exceptional since he was awakened alongside his pod twin, Ansgar, the first ones born at the time." Khayru stopped, staring at Caeshe before motioning for him to take another drink of the canteen in which he complied, "I awakened before he had but I was right there when he awakened." She released a sheepish smile as she added, "And that's when he became my first love."

Almost immediately, Caeshe sputtered, water flying from his mouth causing Khayru to jump, her teal eyes widening, "What's wrong?"

"Your first love?" Caeshe coughed as he used the back of his hand to wipe away any water around his lips, "You and Wren were lovers?"

"For a while," Khayru nodded, before her eyes faded back into memory, "we were so much in love, it felt like it was too good to be reality." She then sighed, "however, there was one obstacle that caused our love to shatter."

Caeshe blinked curiously, "And that was..?"

Khayru gave the Sylvari Thief a nervous smile, "We wanted a child."

"A child?" Caeshe gawked as he recieved a nod as an answer, "you know as well as I do that our people cannot sire children."

"I knew, we both did," The Sylvar Ranger heaved out a sad sigh, "But we were both stubborn, we did not want to believe that Sylari cannot sire children. We tried for months but we did not gain any results." She released an empty short laugh, "Realizing that we cannot sire any children, Wren started to turn towards Nightmare, lured with empty promises that their cause will help him gain a child."

"But I thought Ansgar was the reason he joined the Nightmare Court," Caeshe added, "He told me that once his brother joined the Court, he felt the corruption as well and it eventually led him to follow his brother."

Khayru gave him a sad smile, "Ansgar was one of the reasons he joined the Court, however, a hope for a chance to bear a child is the main reason why he spiraled into Nightmare, believing the corrupting the Dream will give him what he wants." She sighed, "What a foolish belief." She rubbed her arms as she added, "When he joined the Nightmare Court, he came to me in hopes of luring me to Nightmare as well." She gave Caeshe a nervous smile, "Though I loved him dearly, I knew he was not the same man I had loved the day of our awakening."

"Considering that you are here unaffected by Nightmare, I am taking a guess that you said no?" Caeshe asked in which Khayru gave him a sheepish smile and nodded.

"He was furious with me after that," The Sylvari Ranger added, her eyes pondering, "he claimed that if I had truly loved him, then I would have followed him into Nightmare." Straining a smile, Khayru then said, "He told me no matter what, he will make sure I will follow him into the Court, even if it kills him."

"He still loves you then?" Caeshe asked in which the Sylvari Ranger shrugged.

"I do not know whether to call it love or obsession," She admitted, "but I do know that he convinced himself enough that he is willing to die to ensure our 'love' never ends."

Nodding in slight understanding, the Sylvari Thief hesitated before he asked, "Does...Does Nabiha know about this?"

A sad smile faded onto Khayru's features, "I am afraid I still have yet to tell him."

Caeshe seems puzzled at the response, "Why not? You two are lovers now, right? Would it not make sense to tell him of your past?"

"During my many year of being awakened, I have learned that not all secrets are meant to be shared," Khayru gave Caeshe a wary smile, "you are still young, Caeshe. You might not understand until later in your life."

She hesitated for a moment, "If you do not mind, I would like my turn to rest now."

Giving Khayru a puzzled look, Caeshe nontheless unrolled himself from the hide blanket and tossed it towards the Sylvari Ranger whom easily caught it in mid throw. Flashing the young Night Bloom another nervous smile, Khayru rolled herself up in the hide blanket and lied down. Moments later, Caeshe recognized the gentle breathing of sleep being emitted from the female sylvari.

"She's asleep alright."

Caeshe snapped his head towards the Human Mesmer whose were on the Sylvari Thief.

"How long were you awake?" The Night Bloom asked, only to gain a shrug.

"Long enough," Hilal pulled the blanket tighet around his shoulders only for him to wince at the action, "I am actually quite surprised that Khayru had such a past."

"You did not know either?" Caeshe asked in which Hilal nodded.

"The four of us like to keep our pasts a secret," Hilal closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall, "so far, the only past that all four of us knows is Nabiha's."

"And his is...?"

"Ask him yourself," Hilal grunted as he raised his head and opened his eyes, "he actually does not mind telling his past to others."

Caeshe gave Hilal a look, "Is his past uneventful then?"

"Hah, far from it," The Human Mesmer leaned his head back against the wall, "I think the reasoning is that telling his past would help boost his confidence in accomplishing his dream."

The Sylvari thief blinked once, "Dream?"

"His goal in life," Hilal added, "and once again, if you want to know what it is, you have to ask Nabiha himself."

"Why can you not just tell me?" Caeshe muttered in which Hilal narrowed his eyes at the sylvari.

"It is because I do not like you, that is why."

It was Caeshe's turn to glare at the Human Mesmer, "You bratty little-"

"Night," Hilal then pulled the covers back over his head before Caeshe could even finish his sentence.

Xxxxx

"Rise and shine and let's head out to find those clumsy brothers of ours!"

Groaning over the loud shout, Tzurael peeked from his pillow, seeing the familar dark azure hair of the Priory member whom grinned as he watched the Night Bloom awaken.

"The storm has finally let up," Nabiha chirped as he placed his hands on his hips, "so it is time to go out and hunt!"

"Hunt?" Tzurael pushed himself into a sitting position, "hunt for what? Our brothers?"

"Of course!" Nabiha exclaimed earning a wide eyed looking from the Night Bloom, "and uh, that was a figure of speech, we are not actually going to hunt them."

"Scared me there for a moment," Tzurael muttered as he slid out of bed, earning himself a stare from the Priory Member. The Sylvari Ranger noticed, "What?"

"Why did you sleep with your gear on?" Nabiha asked, in which Tzurael blinked before glancing down at himself and releasing an 'Aaaah' as he slowly realized on what the dark azure hair human meant, "I was unable to sleep last night so I took a stroll around."

Almost immediately, a worried look flashed over the human's eyes, "Did you uh...wonder in anywhere... off limits?"

Tzurael gave Nabiha a puzzled, "Of course not, I stayed in the halls."

A look of relief glazed over Nabiha's eyes, "Oh, good then," A cheerful smile then flashed back over his featueres, "Since you are already ready, let us head out shall we?"

Tzurael nodded before he turned and gave a quick whistle, causing Marsh to perk her ears and look up, wagging her tail as she realized that it was coming from her master.

"Let's go and find Caeshe," He nodded his head towards the doorway, earning a bark as a response before the Fern Hand lept down from the bed and onto the floor and dashed out the door, almost knocking over the Priory Member in the process.

"She seems like an excitable one," Nabiha laughed, "definately different from Illusion."

"I think it is because she is a Noon Bloom," Tzurael chuckled as he checked his weapons, ensuring that they were nice and ready to use before sheathing them onto his waist and back, "they are quite proned to be straight forward and adventurous."

Nabiha then laughed, "Then that would explain some sylvari members we have in the Priory." He then shook his head with a smile on his face as he added, "they're so straightforward and proned to take action that it sometimes get the Priory in trouble." He then shrugged, "But hey, it brings a lot of excitment into the Order."

Tzurael followed the Priory member out of the room, "You mean the Durmond Priory is not exciting?"

"We get slow days," Nabiha admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck, "mainly the reason is that some tombs are harder to find than others."

"Tombs?" Tzurael looked at him puzzled, earning a sheepish smile in the process.

"Tombs are sort of like...uhm...burial grounds for higher ranks, such as nobles or royalty." Nabiha replied, "The tombs sometimes have ancient relics placed in there so it makes it easier to track historical events."

"Relics keep track of history?" Tzurael asked only to recieve a laugh as a response.

"Sort of," Nabiha shrugged as he smiled, "the relics hold the history however, only certian people can read the 'age' of the relic to discover its secrets."

Tzurael stared at Nabiha with curious eyes, "Can you read relics?"

"Pfft, sadly I cannot," Nabiha smiled sheepishly, "I have only been in the Priory for a couple of years and I'm an Explorer, not a Scholar, definately not long enough to learn how to read relics. Expertly anyways."

"Explorer? Scholar?" Tzurael repeated, "What is the difference?"

"Explorers are those that goes on expeditions," Nabiha explained, giving the sylvari a grin, "Scholars focus on the book work."

Tzurael just blinked before he added, "I would rather be an Explorer."

Nabiha released another hearty laugh, "Same here but sometimes it is nice to gain some knowledge about the relic you found." He hummed to himself as he added, "That is why Khayru is the Scholar out of the two of us, she definately knows a lot more than I." Nabiha then rubbed the back of his head, "Though sometimes she likes to wonder off." He then shrugged, "Guess she likes to go on solo expeditions occasionally I guess."

"Like what she did yesterday?" The Sylvari Ranger asked, gaining a nod as a response.

"She should be back now that I think about it," Nabiha hummed softly, "who knows, maybe she found our brothers first?"

"You are quite correct on that statement."

Jumping at the sudden introduction of a new voice, both males turned their eyes just down the hallway, only for Nabiha to release a smile, "Khayru!"

The honey colored sylvari smiled as she stood at the end of the hall, her teal eyes showing joy as she motioned for Caeshe to enter, whom stood at the entrance of the Priory, hesitation clear in his eyes, before shifting his weight as he carried the Human Mesmer on his back. In response, Hilal narrowed his eyes at the Sylvari thief.

"Met them before the storm came in?" Nabiha asked as he walked up to the Sylvari and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Tzurael to blink in surprise.

"After," Khayru giggled as she glanced down at Illusion whom stared at her with his right good eye before turning his gaze towards Marsh whom had came to a pause in the middle of the hallway, her ears up and her eyes staring curiously at the scarred Fern Hound, "Luckily, Illusion was able to find shelter before I froze to death. However, it was by luck that Hilal and Caeshe were taking shelter in the same cave."

"That is of great news," Nabiha grinned before his gaze settled down onto Caeshe and Hilal, the former shifting uncomfortably under the Explorers eyes, "though I have to ask, why is uh... Caeshe?" He paused for a moment however continued when the Night Bloom nodded, "why is he carrying Hilal on his back?"

Almost instantly, a pink-violet orb slammed into Nabiha's chest, sending him flying through the air and landing several kilometers away from the group, causing him to cough from the impact while the others gawked with the exception of one person: Hilal.

The pink-violet glow still vibrating around his left hand, Hilal attempted to wrap his arms back around Caeshe's neck only to feel the Sylvari Thief let loose his hold, causing the Human Mesmer to fall to the ground in a heap. Holding back a cry, Hilal winced instead, giving the Night Bloom a glare whom responded with a glare of his own.

"What is the matter with you?" Caeshe growled, "you just attacked the one you call brother and for what reason?"

"He asked a question I did not like," Hilal muttered as he forced himself into a sitting position, grunting from the pain before placing a hand over his wounded side, "and it is not like as though I harmed him." The Human Mesmer then nodded his head towards the Explorer, "look for yourself."

Giving the Human Mesmer another glare, Caeshe turned his eyes towards Nabiha only to blink when he realized that the Priory Explorer was laughing, rolling on the ground like as though the hit was all a joke.

"I hit him with a rejuvanating spell," Hilal explained as the twins stared while as Khayru just giggled, "some are sensitive to its 'tickling' sensation so I added a bit more mantra in it to strengthen it further." His pale blue eyes watching the dark azure hair male roll on the ground for several seconds, Hilal then shrugged, "Should be over in a moment."

As if on cue, Nabiha came to pause on the floor, panting for several seconds before pushing himself back onto his feet, wobbling for a moment before he turned his dark azure eyes towards Hilal, a pout somehow forming onto his features, "Do you have to do that whenever I ask a question you do not like?"

"Yes," Hilal narrowed his eyes at the Priory Explorer, "or would you rather have the 'alternative' spell?"

"uh, I'm find with the rejuvanating effect, thanks," Nabiha gave a nervous smile, "uh, did something happen Hilal? Your legs are in...awkward angles."

Hilal gave Nabiha a blank stare, "Do I have to state it to make it obvious? My legs are broken."

"And several of his ribs as well," Khayru added as she knelt down next to the human Mesmer and tried to pull him up onto his feet only for him to collapse onto the ground once more.

"Here, I will bring him over to the Infirmary," Nabiha flashed Hilal a nervous smile, "Just...do not harm me along the way."

"No promises," Hilal simply stated as the Priory Explorer approached him, knelt down, and scooped him into his arms, ensuring that he was in a comfortable position before heading down to the Infirmary.

Watching the two disappear down the hall, Tzurael turned his coal black eyes towards Khayru before he bowed his head once, "I must thank you for finding my brother and bringing him back here safely."

"Nothing to thank me about," Khayru smiled gently, "I hand out help freely when it is needed and your brother happens to be..." she paused, her teal eyes scanning Tzurael's features before turning his eyes back towards Caeshe, "Wait a minute, you two are pod twins?"

"Uh...yes," Caeshe hesitated for a moment, "there is a reason why we call each other 'brother', it is not simply because we are close."

Khayru's eyes switched back and forth between the twins, her eyes continueing to scan their features before she smiled, "It is not very often you get to see pod twins, especially ones that leave the Grove." She giggled as she added, "Most of them stay in the Maguuma Jungle area and never leave the safety of Mother's boughs." Khayru released another smile, "it is nice to know that there are at least one pair of twins willing to leave the safety of the Grove to venture around."

"There is a reason for that," Tzurael added in which he recieved a confused look from the female Ranger as a response, "I dreamt of the Durmond Priory and my brother and I came here to make more sense of it." He hesitated for a moment, "perhaps you could be of assistance to us."

Giving the Night Bloom a gentle smile, Khayru nodded, "Of course, I am willing to help any sylvari who are attempting to accomplish their dream. Anything at all."

"Uhm...well..." Tzurael hesitated once more, "has the Priory been in any trouble lately? Or anything that they need assistance on?"

Khayru tilted her head a bit, her teal eyes thoughtfully processing through her memory before she shrugged, "I apologize, but none comes to mind. The Priory are experts in maintaining and solving our own problems. I am sorry but, perhaps there is another meaning behind it?" She paused for a moment, "could you tell me what you saw in your dream?"

"Well..." Tzurael gave a nervous glance to his brother whom slowly nodded, however, uncertainty was clear in his eyes, "I was roaming around here in the Priory. Everyone was working on different tasks, almost like as though they did not notice me. However, every now and then, there were others who would greet me by name. Their faces however, remained obscured." He hesitated once more, "Uhm...if it would help, one of them always seem to say, 'Cherry', does it seem fam-"

Almost instantly, a laugh escaped Khayru's lips, causing the twins to stare puzzled as she keeled over, clutching her stomach with her hands as her laughter echoed throughout the hall, earning some arched eyebrows or knowing smiles from passing Priory Members.

"Sorry, sorry," she gasped before releasing another giggle, "it is just that, Cherry, I know exactly who you are talking about."

Tzurael gave her a wide eyed look, "You do?"

The Dawn Bloom nodded, "Her name is Sieran, a Magister of the Priory." She then grinned, "She has a very excitable personality though it sometimes can get her into trouble."

Caeshe gave her a slight frown, "Such as...?"

"The undead gorilla incident," Khayru immediately replied, earning a look from the twins as a response, "but that is a story for another time. From what I can tell from your Dream, you are to work is Magister Sieran in other words," She gave the Sylvari Ranger a smile, "you are going to join the Priory."

* * *

**Tzurael finally gets the answer he needed but...is he going to like it? :O  
**

**Yes, Caeshe was close to discovering his Dream however was interrupted by Wren at the last moment. Also...Uh...are the Nightmare Court still connected to the Dream? .-.**

**Cause I know the Soundless aren't but every time I search the Nightmare Court up it doesn't say...heck, I even talked to the Pale Tree and she wasn't much of help _ **

**Anyways, if they aren't, let's just say it's a slight AU :p**

**Yes, Khayru and Wren did try for a child. The reasoning was that I wondered if any of the Sylvari went into denial about not being able to sire children and attempted to do so only for it to fail. As such, I thought it as a good reason for Wren to fall into Nightmare o.o**

**Also, the Fern Hounds...I feel like they're just there -_-**

**It's hard trying to incorporate them into the story without making it feel like as though they're just...there QQ **

**anyways, enjoy C: **

**~123arcalas**


	9. A Detour

**Dreams**

**Xxxxx**

**A Detour**

**Xxxxx**

Caeshe had never seen so much shock in his brother's eyes in their short amount of time of being awakened. Sure Tzurael was more expressive than he is but he still maintains his emotion quite well for a young Sapling. So Caeshe couldn't help but give his brother a concern glance when Tzurael gawked at the Priory Scholar, his black eyes wide as his jaw hung open.

"Y-You must be mistaken," Tzurael finally spoke, taking several steps back away from the female Sylvari, "I have no intention of joining the Priory. It is too far from the Grove and..." He hesitated, turning his black hues towards his pod twin whom gave him the same glance, "I can not just leave my brother alone."

"Oh he could join too," Khayru smiled, earning a puzzled gaze from the twins, "the Priory loves new Recruits. We actually enjoy teaching them the ways of the Priory." She then clapped her hands, catching the attention of her Fern Hound whom glanced at her with his good eye, "Do not worry, it will be quite exciting."

"Aaah, my apologies Khayru, but I have a Dream of my own to discover," Caeshe added in, earning a disappointed look from the Dawn Bloom, "I do not have the time to wonder around and do...Priory...things when my Dream still eludes me."

"And I am going to be there to assist him," Tzurael finished, earning another disappointing stare from the female Sylvari.

"Well, if you insist," She sighed before she released a gentle smile, "but the offer still stands if you ever change your mind."

Tzurael gave her a nervous smile, "I'll keep that in mind." He then turned his eyes towards his Fern Hound, releasing a quiet whistle before calling, "Marsh, come here."

Instead of immediately obeying, Marsh took several steps towards Illusion whom had turned his good eye back towards her, watching the young Fern Hound cautiously as she slowly approached.

"Marsh," Tzurael called out again, shifting uncomfortably as he watched his pet slowly approach the scarred Fern Hound, pausing every few steps to take in a sniff before moving forward again.

When the young Sylvan Hound was just a few steps away, a low growl could be heard from Illusion's throat, causing Khayru to snap her head towards the scarred Hound.

"Illusion, behave." She hushed, causing the Scarred Hound to pause however, his lips pulled back into a snarl, showing his white fangs in response.

Either having missed or ignored the warning, Marsh continued her approach, causing Tzurael to quickly call out her name once more, "Marsh, come back here, it is not safe."

When Marsh turned her eyes towards her Master, a sense of relief quickly washed over Tzurael's features before he motioned for her with his hand to come to him, "Come on Marsh, let's us go say our goodbyes and leave. We are done here."

Releasing a small 'huff', Marsh instead turned her eyes back towards Illusion whom now had taken a threatening posture, his teeth still bared. Panic washed back over Tzurael's body, "Marsh, come."

"Illusion," Khayru gave her Fern Hound a warning tone, also watching warily as Marsh continued to take small and cautious steps forward towards the Scarred Hound, "Stay."

No sooner had the command left her lips when Illusion pounced on top of Marsh, causing her to release a sharp cry as the larger Fern Hound bit down onto her shoulder.

"Marsh!" Tzurael cried as both he and Khayru ran towards their pets, the female Sylvari grabbing the top of Illusion's leaf coat before tugging him off of the smaller Sylvan Hound while as Tzurael knelt down next to Marsh and wrapped his arms protectively around her neck.

"What is the matter with you?" Khayru scolded as she struggled to hold Illusion back, feeling the Sylvan hound attempting to charge towards Marsh, "she did not even touch you."

Hearing his pet whimper in his gentle embrace, Tzurael held her protectively against his chest as he caressed his fingers through her coat, "You are alright Marsh, you-" He paused as he lifted his hand to repeat the gesture only to see the familiar color of gold on his fingers. Feeling his heart stop in his chest, Tzurael glanced down at her shoulder, only to see a steady stream of sap coming from her wound, "You are bleeding."

"What?" Khayru turned her eyes towards Illusion, her teal eyes narrowing at the Fern Hound whom stared back with his good eye, "Illusion, this is unlike you." She stood up however, bent down a little to ensure that her hands were still on her Fern Hound's top coat. Khayru then turned her eyes towards Tzurael, giving him an apologetic glance, "I am sorry, he had never done this before." She turned her attention back towards Illusion whom started barking at Marsh whose ears pressed back against her head and whimpered in response, "Illusion quit that!"

Illusion stopped barking however, he emitted a growl, his teeth still bared. Khayru just released a heavy sigh, "Come here you." With that she started dragging the Scarred Fern Hound down the hall, leading it away from the twins and the injured Fern Hound before disappearing down a corner.

Watching them leave, Tzurael turned his eyes towards Caeshe, only to see that his brother stared wide eyed, possibly his mouth hanging open if it wasn't for the mask covering his lower features.

"That...That was quite sudden," Caeshe finally spoke, his violet eyes glancing warily at the hallway where the older Sylvari and Fern Hound had disappeared, "he was so calm last night."

"Well he just attacked Marsh out of nowhere," Tzurael grunted a bit as he stood up, carrying the Fern Hound in his arms, "from my perspective, she was only curious, she did not deserve to be attacked."

"We'll figure out the reason later," Caeshe added as he approached his fingers and brushed his fingers through Marsh's coat, earning himself a lick on the fingers in response, "for now our stay in the Piory is going to be a bit longer than we had anticipated."

Xxxxx

"That is strange," Aoshiro furrowed his eyebrows together as he laid in his bed, his head propped up with a pillow as the twins sat nearby on chairs that they had been given when they requested to visit the wounded Guardian, "I have known Illusion the same amount of time I have known Khayru and I never heard of him ever act so rashly before." He contemplated for a moment, "Was Marsh's wound serious?"

Tzurael shook his head in response, "The healers here told me that though the wound is deep, it is not a serious injury." He rubbed the back of his head before he sighed, "They said that she should be fine within a day. Two maybe to recover from the mental trauma."

Aoshiro gave Tzurael a gentle smile, "That is of good news to hear." He then turned his eyes towards Caeshe, "and how are you feeling? It must not be pleasant to spend a night in the mountains, especially during a storm."

Caught off guard by the question, Caeshe blinked several times before he replied, "It was not as unpleasant as I thought, though I mainly believe that it was because Khayru found Hilal and I by chance."

The Guardian released a laugh in response, "That, I have to agree." He then sighed as he turned his pale azure eyes towards the ceiling before closing them, causing the twins to shift nervously in their seat.

"Uh, Shiro?" Tzurael paused for a moment, hesitation seen in his eyes before he added, "are you well?"

"H'm?" Aoshiro turned his head and opened his eyes, "oh, my apologies." He gave the twins a tired smile, "the healers here discovered that the last medicine was not dulling the pain. So they gave me a new one just this morning." He then closed his eyes and turned his head back towards the ceiling, "Makes me feel exhausted though."

"Oh," Caeshe blinked several times, "then perhaps we should leave so you can-"

"No,no," Aoshiro opened his eyes and turned his gaze back towards the twins, giving them another gentle smile, "I prefer staying awake." He then chuckled as he added, "I hate sleeping from anything that forces me to sleep."

Tzurael blinked once, "Why is that?"

"H'mmm, a lot of men and woman are...attracted to me," Aoshiro released a sheepish smile, "strong enough that they are willing enough to resort to do,erm...low tactics to...well... get their way with me."

The twins gave the Guardian a confused stare, Caeshe then adding, "Meaning?"

The white haired Guardian just chuckled before he shook his head and closed his eyes, "Never mind, you'll understand the meaning someday."

Giving each other a confused glance, the twins quickly shrugged it off, coming to a mental mutual agreement that it is something that they do not want to learn, especially so early in their life.

"Is your wound healing well?" Tzurael asked earning a smile from the Guardian as he opened his eyes.

"Another two or three more days and I should be well enough to leave," He then released a short laugh, "that is what the healers said but most likely tonight I will be well enough to head back to Lion's Arch."

"Tonight?" Caeshe repeated, "is that not a bit soon from what the healers recommend?"

"Do not worry, I heal more quickly than others," Aoshiro gave the twins a wink only receiving a confused glance in response, "someday you'll understand but now is not the time." He then yawned, "If you do not mind, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Tzurael quickly replied, his brother nodding in agreement, "anything to repay you for helping me discover my Dream."

Aoshiro released a sheepish smile, "Could you check on Hilal for me?"

"...What?" Caeshe was the first to respond, giving the Guardian a blank look, "why do we have to-"

"I heard about the broken bones he had received when he saved your life," Aoshiro smiled when Caeshe's face turned a shade darker, "I would go ahead and check on him myself but I could feel the effects of the pain killers already taking affect." He then yawned to prove his point, "Hilal may seem tough but he is actually quite fragile." The Guardian laughed as he added, "I remembered the time Nabiha gave Hilal a hug to congratulate him for becoming a Mesmer, only for him to break his arms and back and he did not even squeeze him that hard." His face then switched to one of concern, "It concerns me that he is hiding more of his injuries than he lets on and knowing him, he will shove away any attempts to heal the injuries that he had hidden."

Hesitation clear in the Sylvari Thief's features, Caeshe then asked, "If you do not mind me asking, why does he hide the worse of his injuries when he is in obvious pain?"

Aoshiro just chuckled, "He may not seem like it, but Hilal does have a kind soul. He does not like to be a burden to anyone and worries for everyone else's safety." He then smiled at Caeshe, "Why else do you think he would teleport after you when you fell, Caeshe?"

Seeing Caeshe become flustered again caused another laugh to escape the Guardian, "Just tell him that I sent you and most likely he will tell you the extent of his injuries." He then flashed the twins a nervous smile, "Hopefully."

Xxxxx

Moments later after the twins reluctantly agreed to check up on the Human Mesmer, Tzurael and Caeshe were standing at the doorway of another Infirmary a few doors down from where the Human Guardian was checked in, their eyes spotting the small human immediately as he was tucked away in the corner of the room, seemingly uncaring as he flashed pink-violet mist into the air, letting it dance between his fingers before letting it fade as he laid on his bed, his head propped up with a pillow.

"I really do not want to do this," Caeshe muttered, earning himself a sheepish smile from his pod twin.

"We already promised Shiro that we are going ot check up on Hilal, we cannot break it now," Tzurael said, causing his brother to slouch and sigh.

"I know but that does not mean I can enjoy every moment of it," Caeshe added in, earning a chuckle from Tzurael in response.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Snapping their heads towards the source of the voice, the twins shifted nervously when they realized it was Hilal, his sky blue eyes glaring at them as his free hand curled into a fist, familiar pink-violet mist vibrating around his wrist.

"I thought your business here was finished," The Mesmer's lips turned into a thin line, "so what are you guys still doing in the Priory?"

"Marsh, my Fern Hound, was attacked by Illusion," Tzurael immediately replied, cautiously approaching the bedside of the wounded Mesmer with his brother close behind him, "she is not seriously wounded but it might take a couple of days for her to recover."

"So your pet is as clumsy as you are?"

The Sylvari Ranger's eyes narrowed but released a strained smile, "Shiro has sent my brother and I to check up on your status. How are you faring?"

Hearing his brother's name, Hilal's eyes soften, causing him to turn his eyes straight forward and continue to release a mist into the air as it danced on his fingertips, "Tell him that I am fine, my legs and side are the only injuries that I had sustained from the fall." He then turned his pale azure eyes towards the twins, "That is the truth."

Watching the human Mesmer release pink mist into the air, Caeshe noticed Hilal's left arm tucked close to his chest, favoring his right hand as he released the small mantra into the air, "Are you ambidextrous?"

Hilal turned his eyes towards Caeshe, letting the pink mist fade from his fingertips, "I normally use my left hand but yes, I am." He then narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

"Is your left arm injured?" The Sylvari Thief asked as he nodded his head towards the Mesmer's left arm, "You seem to favor your right at the moment."

Almost immediately, Hilal's face flushed, catching the twins off guard as he muttered, "It is nothing serious, just a fracture, that is all."

"A fracture? It is from falling down the mountain side?" Tzurael asked in which he received a shake of the head as a response.

"I did tell before that I was fragile right?" Hilal asked, in which the twins responded with a nod, "well when you dropped me Sir Butterfingers, it caused me to land in an awkward angle and that is where my arm fractured."

Caeshe gave him a blank stare, "Casting a spell at someone you have considered a brother just for the reason that he asked a question that you dislike, I say you deserved it."

Hilal glared at the Sylvari Thief, "You do not know our family well, 'Sylvari' so I recommend that you stop acting like as though you do."

"I will stop when you stop acting like a bundle of thorns," Caeshe snapped as he glared back.

Feeling the air around them thicken, Tzurael stepped in, "Come on you two, this is no place to argue, especially when there are others injured trying to rest."

"Hah! What others?" Hilal frowned, nodding his head toward the unoccupied beds, "as you can tell, I'm the only one currently inhabiting this room."

"I wonder why," Caeshe growled, earning another glare from the Human Mesmer.

"Are you trying to imply something?" Hilal asked in which the edges of Caeshe's lips twitched upward.

"What makes you think that I was implying that you are a rude pile of briars that always seems to harm anyone who gets too close?"

Hilal frowned, "At least I know now that you are smart enough to use 'sarcasm'."

"Enough!" Tzurael yelled, causing Hilal and Caeshe to snap their heads towards the Sylvari Ranger, "Hilal, get some rest, we will tell Shiro of your status, Caeshe, let us go before the two of you start arguing again."

Watching his brother leave the room, Caeshe flashed the Human Mesmer another glare before following after his pod twin. He then saw Hilal perform a gesture that he could not understand but had a feeling that the meaning was suppose to be insulting.

As soon as the twins were a safe distance away from Hilal's room, Tzurael released a groan before tilting his head back and placing his hands onto his face, "More than anything else, I want Hilal to show at least a bit of 'kindness' towards others." He sighed as he let his hands fall back to his side, his head lowering to the ground, "that way I will believe that he has a sign of a kind soul."

"I highly doubt he has one," Caeshe grumbled, earning a sheepish smile from his pod twin.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Tzurael shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck, "though if he had no kind soul, I wonder why he risked his life to save yours?"

In response, Caeshe also shrugged, "I have a feeling that no matter how well we will know him, his motives are only known to himself."

Tzurael released a short laugh, "Most likely, though I wonder why, he is young to keep many secrets." He then paused before he burst out laughing, "Then again, we are still young ourselves."

The Sylvari Thief released a sheepish smile, "Night Blooms do have a tendency to keep to themselves."

"Except when it comes to us," Tzurael smiled at his brother, "come on, let us report back to Shiro and-"

"I am afraid you are a bit late for that."

Jumping at the new voice, the twins paused only for them to nod their heads in greeting to the Dawn Bloom.

"Did his medicine finally take effect?" Caeshe asked in which he received a nod as a response from the birch skinned Sylvari.

"It was funny seeing him struggle to keep his eyes open," Khayru giggled at the thought, "he was doing everything he can to make himself stay awake. Shiro really wanted to hear your status on Hilal."

"Oh, he is fine," Caeshe muttered, earning a giggle from Khayru, "still cold hearted as always."

Khayru just sighed, a gentle smile upon her features as she added, "Hilal had always been that way, ever since I had first met him." She chuckled as she added, "To be honest, I think it is his way of showing affection to those he trusts."

"Affection? To those he trusts?" Caeshe repeated, a look of doubt clear in his eyes, "Is that how humans act towards each other?"

"H'mmm, some," Khayru hummed a bit, her teal eyes pondering, "though not very many." She smiled at the twins, "Usually either they are very nice or very rude however, Hilal seems to be a bit of a mix if you get on his good side."

Tzurael gave the Dawn Bloom a puzzled look, "Good side? How can you tell when you are on his good side?"

The honey haired Sylvari gave them another smile, "You should already know by now, especially you, Caeshe."

"Eh?" the Sylvari Thief gave the Dawn Bloom a confused look, "What do you mean?"

Khayru just giggled, "If you do not know what is obvious, then I shall not tell you. You have to figure it out on your own." Her teal eyes then turned towards the male Sylvari Ranger, "Tzurael, I am here to apologize once more for Illusion's behavior." She gave the Night Bloom a smile, "I have nearly forgotten that he is quite nervous around other Fern Hounds thanks to an experience back when he was just a small pup." Khayru then clapped her hands, "and to make up for it, why not travel with me to Ascalon?"

"Ascalon?" Tzurael repeated, his black eyes staring at the honey haired sylvari with confusion.

"It is the land where the Charr inhabit," Khayru smiled, "you two are newly awakened so I thought a great way to apologize is to help you explore new lands. What do you say?"

Blinking several times at the Sylvari Ranger, the twins glanced at each other, reading each others eyes before Caeshe released a reluctant nod, causing Tzurael to turn his eyes back towards the Dawn Bloom.

"We will accept," He replied, causing a giddy smile to flash over Khayru's features, "however, we want it to make a quick trip. We do not want to stay away from home longer than we want."

"Oh do not worry," Khayru clapped her hands as she jumped up and down, earning sheepish smiles from the twins as a response, "Nabiha is coming as well since he's my partner here in the Priory and he is a pretty experienced Warrior so any dangers or threats that would slow us down would not be a problem."

Caeshe gave the honey haired sylvari a stare, "Are you certain? He seems pretty...young to be an experienced warrior.

The Dawn Bloom gave him another smile, "When we start traveling there, you'll see understand." She then clapped her hands once more, "We'll be leaving a couple of days from now, hopefully that will give time for Marsh to heal."

"The Healers here said that she will be better in a day," Tzurael then released a nervous smile, "two if she can not get over the trauma."

Khayru shifted apologetically in place, "Once again, I apologize for Illusion's behavior, he-"

"It is alright," The Sylvari Ranger gave the Dawn Bloom a nervous smile, "Illusion had given Marsh plenty of warnings but she had refused to back down. So I believe that apologizing once is enough." Tzurael then rubbed the back of his neck, "Marsh is still young so I guess she had to learn the hard way when to back down."

The Dawn Bloom flashed a sheepish smile, "Perhaps." She then shifted nervously on the tips of her toes before she added, "Hopefully the travel to Ascalon will be smooth and you will be able to meet a charr."

"Oh," Tzurael blinked a couple of times, "I've already met a Charr..." He hesitated, "Back in the battle pits."

"That, was in the battle pits," Khayru gently smiled, "you have not met any Charr in the Black Citadel, in their city." She then giggled, "They may seem harsh at first but they are really kind when you get to know them."

The Night Bloom gave her a look of doubt, "If you say so." He then rubbed his shoulder. The shoulder where the gray fur charr had sliced into his flesh, "though I am only trusting your words because of your years of experience."

The Dawn Bloom gave Tzurael a comforting smile, "Just do not get onto their bad side and you shall be fine, sapling." She then stretched her arms above her head before she added, "I shall notify you once we are ready to leave but for now, I think we all need a full day's rest." Khayru gave the twins another gentle smile, "Have a well earned rest saplings, and may you Dream of Mother's warm embrace." She then gave the twin Night Blooms a slight bow before turning and heading down the hall.

Watching the Dawn Bloom leave, her honey hair disappearing around a corner, Caeshe finally turned his violet gaze towards his twin and asked, "You sure you want to travel to Ascalon, Brother?

The Sylvari ranger responded with a nervous smile, "Though I am nervous on meeting another charr, my curiosity got the better of me. I want to travel and see the lands that is outside of our home." He then sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I just hope I do not have to fight another charr."

Caeshe gave his brother a strained smile from behind his mask, "So do I." A glint then seem to appear in the Night Bloom's violet eyes, "Unlike the battle pits however, I'll be able to give you aid if you ever do battle another Charr, brother."

Blinking several times in shock, Tzurael released a laugh as a response, "I have to agree on your words, Caeshe." He then nodded, "Yes, unlike the battle pits, we have each other's back." The Ranger then clapped his brother on the back, "and until the end, we shall always watch each other's back."

The Sylvari Thief nodded before he replied, "I agree but first," Caeshe smiled sheepishly from behind his mask, "May we get something to eat? I haven't eaten since I fell from the mountainside."

"Same here," Tzurael laughed before he nodded, "The Priory members here were kind enough to show me the way before you reached here. Come, let us dine together Caeshe, perhaps in celebration of your safe return?"

Caeshe released a short laugh in response, "If a meal is involved, then so shall it be."

Releasing another laugh, Tzurael wrapped one of his arms around his brother's shoulder whom gave him a smile in response before the twins started to head down the hall towards the dining area.

Xxxxx

"Alright! Let us get going and head to the Black Citadel!" Nabiha exclaimed as he stretched out his arms in the air before turning and grinning at the twins and Khayru, the latter giving him a smile, "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can go back home!"

"Do not get too excited yet, Nabiha" Khayru shifted the straps on her pack, "Shiro wants to see us leave before he prepares to find a way to bring Hilal and himself back to Lion's Arch, remember?"

"Oh, right," Nabiha released a sheepish smile, "so when is he gonna get here? We are already at the front entrance and ready to go and he's-"

"Right here."

Startled, the group turned only for Khayru and Nabiha to smile as the Guardian approached them, dressed in light azure and white garments.

"You seem lively this morning, Shiro," Khayru commented, causing the white haired male to give the Dawn Bloom a gentle smile in response.

"It is because the healers in the Priory took great care of me," he said as he place a hand onto his side and patted it a few times, signaling that the pain had faded, "though they told me to stay away from performing any strenuous tasks until it is completely healed."

"And we expect you to follow that," Khayru added, earning a sheepish smile from the Guardian, "We know that you do not like to stay in one spot for too long, Shiro. But it would be nice if you recovered from an injury without gaining another scar."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Aoshiro just shrugged, "I'll try but no promises that I'll stay put."

Heaving out a sigh, Nabiha just chuckled, "Just make sure you do not die on us or find you dying, like last time."

"Last time?" Tzurael butted in, his onyx colored eyes staring bewildered at the group.

"Once again, no promises," Aoshiro continued, the three of them seemingly having missed or ignored the Night Bloom's remark, "however, if it makes you feel any better, Hilal will be there."

"Yeah, lying in a bed with broken legs and ribs," Nabiha came up and gave the Guardian a gentle punch, receiving a sheepish smile as a response, "Just because you are nearly invisible because of your high defense does not make your immortal, Shiro."

"I'll try and remember that," The white haired male rubbed his shoulder, "but for now, you two should head on out with the twins." He turned his pale azure eyes towards Caeshe and Tzurael, "It seems they're eager to see the lands of the Charr however, also eager to return home."

Hearing themselves being mention, Tzurael and Caeshe shifted nervously, almost shyly as Tzurael rubbed the back of his neck while as Caeshe just turned and looked away. Aoshiro just chuckled at this.

"Of course we notice that they're eager to return to the Grove," Khayru smiled, "but you are the one that wanted to see us go."

"Aaah, of course," Aoshiro nodded once, giving the group a gentle smile before he saluted and said, "May the 6 gods watch over you on your journey."

Seeing this, Nabiha saluted back, "And May the 6 watch over you as well."

With that, the Guardian gave the group a single nod before turning around and exited down the hall. Seconds after Aoshiro faded from view, Tzurael asked, "What was that?"

Nabiha turned and gave the Ranger a puzzled look, "What was what?"

"That salute and the '6 gods watching over you' thing," Tzurael explained, "what was that and why did you guys do that gesture?"

Staring at the sylvari Ranger for several seconds, Nabiha then suddenly laughed, causing Tzurael's face to turn a shade darker.

"It is sort of a blessing," The Warrior managed to get out as he used the back of his hand to wipe away any forming tears, "it is to ask the 6 Gods to hand down a ward to keep us safe in our travels."

Caeshe stared at the dark azure hair warrior, an eyebrow arched, "Does it work?"

Nabiha shrugged in response, "Who knows? I only do it to ease Shiro's mind a bit."

"To ease Shiro's mind?" Tzurael repeated in which he gained a nod as a response, "does he worry about you two that much?"

"That could be a possibility," Khayru added, causing the twins' attention to turn towards the Dawn Bloom, "but we also do it for Shiro's mental well being as well."

The male Sylvari Ranger blinked at this, "Is he ill?"

Giving each other a glance, Nabiha and Khayru gave them a nervous smile.

"That is for another time, friend," the Warrior came up and gave the male Sylvari Ranger couple of pats on the shoulder, "I might tell you the story once we reach our desintation but for now.." Nabiha smiles, "Let's head off towards the Black Citadel!"

* * *

**Aaaah this feels so short compared to the others...**

**I have a slight writer's block atm so most likely this story won't be updated for a while lol**

**also, I need to pay attention to my other stories as well...so...yeah ^^;;;**

**And I need to remember to put the Fern Hounds in...I always forget to put them in -.-**

**Oh well, next time _ **

**anyways, enjoy C:**

**~123arcalas**


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